emporium

noun

1. (also, figuratively)A city or region which is a major trading centre; also, a place within a city for commerce and trading; a marketplace.

   “Venice a poore fiſhertowne, Paris, London, ſmall Cottages, in Cæſars time, now moſt noble Emporiums.”

   “And, while this fam'd Emporium we prepare, / The Britiſh Ocean ſhall ſuch triumphs boaſt, / That thoſe who now diſdain our Trade to ſhare, / Shall rob like Pyrats on our wealthy Coaſt.”

   “The ſtate itself [New York] is penetrated by a large navigable river for more than fifty leagues. The great emporium of its commerce, the great reſervoir of its wealth, lies every moment at the mercy of events, and may almoſt be regarded as a hoſtage for ignominious compliances with the dictates of a foreign enemy, or even with the rapacious demands of pirates and barbarians.”

   “Excester, or EXETER, is a famous and ancient City, the metropolis and emporium of the Weſt of England.”

   “[W]ould there not be a ſerious danger, that while theſe innovations were proceeding, rival European powers might ſeize the occaſion, renew their commercial efforts, and divert into a new channel thoſe ſtreams of commerce which rendered London the emporium of the Eaſtern trade?”

2. (also, figuratively)A shop that offers a wide variety of goods for sale; a department store; (with a descriptive word) a shop specializing in particular goods.

   “With a name like “The Wine and Spirits Emporium”, no wonder the prices are so high.”

   “Then, as if he wiſhed to convert himſelf into a vaſt emporium of every error, he applied to the doctrines of the modern Sophiſters, and thus plied his unfortunate brain on the one ſide with all the delirious conceits of Cabaliſtic Maſonry, and on the other with the impious doctrines of the ſelf-created Philoſophers.”

   “J. Charles begs to state, that in consequence of his making his purchases with Cash, and always keeping an extensive Stock, he is enabled to defy competition.—Observe, the Emporium of Fashion is at 171, Fleet-street.”

   “The Olympic Toy Emporium occupied a conspicuous frontage in an important West End street. It was happily named Toy Emporium, because one would never have dreamed of according it the familiar and yet pulse-quickening name of toyshop.”

   “The Beijing Wangfujing Department Store is a large commercial enterprise well-known in China, and is also famous as one of the world's largest retail stores [...] About 1.7 billion customers, both Chinese and foreign, have been received by the Emporium since its founding, which is about 1.4 times the population of China [...].”

3. (historical)A business set up to enable foreign traders to engage in commerce in a country; a factory (now the more common term).

   “The advantages to be enjoyed, and laws conformed to by the men of war of either ſtate, the trade to be carried on in America, the catching of herrings or other fiſh, the ſettling of emporiums, &c. ſhall be adjuſted by a ſpecial treaty.”

   “On the ſouthern branch is a town called Pipely, where there was formerly an Engliſh factory; but this was removed to Huguley, one hundred and ſixty miles farther up the river; a place which, together with the company's ſettlement at Calcutta, were the emporiums of their commerce for the whole kingdom of Bengal.”

4. (broadly, obsolete)The brain.

   “Observing, then that the emporium or brain itself reflects the entire product of all the senses by an impressible power, which, as by a looking-glass, exactly duplicated the external recognizers, or sense apparatus or limbs, it was inferred that the principle of duplication must be the true and exact counterpart to evergency; [...]”

name

1. A borough, the county seat of Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States.