chapman en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈt͡ʃæpmən/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English chapman, chepman, from Old English ċēapmann (“dealer, merchant”), from Proto-West Germanic *kaupamann, equivalent to cheap (noun) + man. Cognate with synonymous West Frisian keapman, Dutch koopman, German Low German Koopmann, German Kaufmann, Swedish köpman.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) A dealer or merchant, especially an itinerant one.
When chapmen billies leave the street, / And drouthy neibors, neibors meet, / As market days are wearing late, / An' folk begin to tak the gate
1790, Robert Burns, Tam o' Shanter:Done. They are gone: the sum is here in bank, my Face. I would we knew another chapman now would buy 'em outright.
c. 1610, Ben Jonson, The Alchemist, act 3:
- (obsolete) A purchaser.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| chapmen | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
chapmanship · shortened form (16th century) · chap · chapmanhood