As a verb, to exchange means to give something and receive something else in return. As a noun, it refers to the act of trading or the things that are traded, including words or ideas.
It comes from Old French 'eschange', from 'eschangier' meaning 'to trade', based on Latin 'ex-' (out) and a Germanic root for 'change'. The word always involved a two‑way movement, not just giving or taking.
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