treaty port

noun

History/Historical.

1. any of the ports in China, Japan, or Korea through which trade with foreign countries was permitted by special treaty.

treaty port

noun

1. (in China, Japan, and Korea during the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century) a city, esp a port, in which foreigners, esp Westerners, were allowed by treaty to conduct trade

Word History and Origins

Origin of treaty port¹

First recorded in 1880–85