Sutler is a noun referring to a civilian provisioner to an army post, often with a shop. The term, which came to English from Dutch, was associated with a 'sloppy worker' due to the high prices they charged.
Sutler es un sustantivo que se refiere a un proveedor civil de un puesto del ejército, a menudo con una tienda. El término, que llegó al inglés desde el holandés, se asociaba con un "trabajador descuidado" debido a los altos precios que cobraban.
| Word | sutler |
|---|---|
| Date | October 3, 2007 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | SUT-ler |
| Etymology | "For I shall sutler be / Unto the camp, and profits will accrue," Pistol declares in Shakespeare's Henry V. In 1599, the year the play was first performed, "sutler" was quite new to English. It was adapted from the Dutch word "soeteler," which meant about the same thing as our modern term. Even then, sutlers weren't usually the most popular fellows in a military camp, as a further look at the word's history reveals. The Dutch adopted "soeteler" from a Low German word meaning "sloppy worker," which itself traces to an even older verb that meant "to do sloppy work" or "to dirty." Perhaps the snide designation was inspired by the fact that the traditional sutler followed troops and sold them supplies at hugely inflated prices. |
| Examples | The sutler who provided the company's provisions wanted a dollar for a can of peaches, so the enlisted men had to be content with hardtack and jerky. |
| Definition | : a civilian provisioner to an army post often with a shop on the post |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Sense restive horses september adjective res-tiv ultimately anglo-french
Previous card: Astute meaning shrewd judgment october adjective uh-stoot similar
Up to card list: Word of the Day