Trade Union
Preserved but no longer current.
An association of employees in a trade or industry, formed for the promo- tion and protection of their common interests in regard to conditions of labour, wages, etc., and often for providing its members with payments during temporary unemployment, sickness, or strikes, and pensions in old age.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Trade Union” mean?
An association of employees in a trade or industry, formed for the promo- tion and protection of their common interests in regard to conditions of labour, wages, etc., and often for providing its members with payments during temporary unemployment, sickness, or strikes, and pensions in old age.
Is “Trade Union” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.