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# Engrossing

## Definition

The practice of buying up large quantities of a commodity, particularly
corn, with the intent to sell again at a profit, often viewed with suspicion
as potentially manipulating market prices.

## Source Chapter

Book IV, Chapter 5

## Context

Smith defends engrossing as a legitimate market activity that helps
distribute goods from areas of surplus to areas of scarcity, arguing that
restrictions on this practice only harm the public interest.

## Economic Domain

Exchange

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