Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

peddler

 - 3 dictionary results

ped⋅dler

[ped-ler]
–noun
1. a person who sells from door to door or in the street.
2. a person who tries to promote some cause, candidate, viewpoint, etc.
Also, pedlar, pedler.


Origin:
1350–1400; ME pedlere, unexplained var. of peder, deriv. of ped(de) basket
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To peddler
ped·dler   (pěd'lər)   
n.  One who travels about selling wares for a living.

[Middle English pedlere, probably alteration of peddere, from Medieval Latin pedārius, crosier bearer, from Latin pēs, ped-, foot; see pedi-.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

peddler 
c.1225, from peoddere, peddere, of unknown origin. Pedlar, preferred spelling in U.K., is attested from 1377. It has the appearance of an agent noun, but no verb is attested in M.E. Perhaps a dim. of ped "panier, basket," also of unknown origin, but this is only attested from c.1390. Peddle, colloquial for "to retail," is a back-formation attested from 1837.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see peddler on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: