Source: Financial Times, 5th May 2011

The Latin words com (with) and modus (measure) evolved, via French, into the separate English nouns, commodity and commode. The latter definition comes to mind after Thursday's epic rout that, according to scuttlebutt, not only saw billions of dollars go down the drain but probably buried some funds and individual investors in a blizzard of margin calls. It was the worst sell-off for many commodities since the collapse of Lehman Brothers and, in dollar terms, the biggest ever for Brent crude.