A monger is a broker or dealer, often used in combination with the item traded (e.g., fishmonger). It can also refer to someone who stirs up or spreads petty or discreditable things (e.g., rumormonger).
A monger is a broker or dealer, often used in combination with the item traded (e.g., fishmonger). It can also refer to someone who stirs up or spreads petty or discreditable things (e.g., rumormonger).
| Word | monger |
|---|---|
| Date | June 23, 2013 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | MUNG-gur |
| Etymology | Peddlers (especially fish merchants) have been called "mongers" for more than 1000 years. The term traces to a Latin noun meaning "trader." Initially, it was an honorable term, but every profession has its bad apples, and the snake-oil salesmen of the bunch gave "monger" a bad reputation. By the middle of the 16th century, the term often implied that a merchant was dishonorable and contemptible. Nowadays, "monger" is typically appended to another word to identify a trader of a particular type. Some combinations (such as "fishmonger") suggest respectable commerce, whereas others (such as "rumormonger," "scandalmonger," and "hypemonger") imply that a person is trading or spreading information in a careless or deceptive manner. |
| Examples | According to reports, the singer and actress were involved in a hot romance, but the rumormongers had it wrong-the two were just good friends. "Inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in the Strip District, a fishmonger wearing orange rubber overalls guided a customer to West Coast halibut for its clean, mild flavor." - From an article by Melissa McCart in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 26, 2013 |
| Definition | 1 : broker, dealer - usually used in combination 2 : a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is usually petty or discreditable - usually used in combination |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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