forestaller
See also: föreställer
English
Etymology
From Middle English forstaller, forstallor, forstallar, equivalent to forestall + -er.
Noun
forestaller (plural forestallers)
- A person who forestalls, especially one who buys goods before they can be sold on the open market in anticipation of rising prices
Usage notes
For at least a period of time in the late-18th century, under English Royal law, forestaller had a more narrow meaning which included the concept of not selling again in the same market within three months. By this de jure restriction, legislation attempted to distinguish between a socially useful function (storing grain for a potential future dearth) and an alleged socially harmful function of buying up grain so as to increase the price to the poor or needy by facilitating a so-called excess profit to the intermediary.