English
horsetrade
From horse + trade.
Proto-Germanic *hrussą ‘horse’
Proto-West Germanic *hross ‘horse’
Old English hors ‘horse’
Middle English hors ‘a horse’
English horse
Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂- ‘to tread, walk, run’
…
Proto-West Germanic *tradu
Old Saxon trada ‘spoor, track’
Middle Low German trade ‘track, course’
Middle English trade ‘path, course of conduct’
English trade
Today it means
verb To negotiate informally, especially when bargaining or reciprocal concessions are included, frequently regarding politics.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / horsetrade