árukodó

árukodó is a historical Hungarian noun used to describe a person who arranged, coordinated, or brokered the trade of goods within local and inter-town markets. The term denotes a middleman role distinct from a direct seller (árus) or a wholesale merchant (kereskedő).

Etymology: The word combines áru, meaning goods, with the agentive suffix -kodó, signaling a person who carries out the related action. The exact origin is uncertain and spellings vary in older texts, including árukodó and árúkodó.

Historical role: In medieval and early modern Hungary, árukodók acted as brokers, transport coordinators, and storage managers within trading networks. They linked producers to merchants, arranged procurement and logistics, negotiated prices, and sometimes bore risk for consignments or delayed payments. Success depended on market literacy, trust networks, and awareness of local regulations.

Modern usage: Today the term is rarely used in standard Hungarian. It appears mainly in historical dictionaries, linguistic studies, and literature to evoke period settings or in archival references. In contemporary discourse, similar functions are described by terms such as közvetítő (broker), kereskedő, or logisztikai szolgáltató rather than by the title árukodó.

See also: kereskedő, árus, közvetítő kereskedelem, logisztika.