peddler

See also: Peddler

English

Alternative forms

pedlar (British)
pedler (dated)

Etymology

From Middle English pedlere, pedlare, pedeler, alteration of Middle English peddere (“hawker, peddler”), of uncertain origin. Compare Medieval Latin pedārius, from Latin pedāre (“to furnish with feet; prop up”).

Noun

peddler (plural peddlers)

An itinerant seller of small goods.
Synonyms: hawker, (obsolete) chapman, huckster, monger, colporteur, solicitor
A drug dealer.
- 1953, Tom Lehrer, “The Old Dope Peddler”, in Songs by Tom Lehrer, Pantheon, published 1981, page 18:
  Here's a cure for all your troubles / Here's an end to all distress / It's the old dope peddler / With his powdered happiness
(figurative) A fake-news disseminator; A conspiracy-theory propagator.

Derived terms

peddle (back-formation)

Translations

itinerant seller of small goods

Arabic: جَوَّال‎ (ar) m (jawwāl), بائع متجول‎ (ba'a mutajawel)
Armenian: չարչի (hy) (čʿarčʿi)
Azerbaijani: çərçi
Belarusian: карабе́йнік m (karabjéjnik), каро́бачнік m (karóbačnik), піліпо́н m (pilipón), афе́ня m (afjénja), разно́счык m (raznósčyk)
Bulgarian: амбулантен търговец m (ambulanten tǎrgovec)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 小販／小贩 (zh) (xiǎofàn)
Dutch: marskramer (nl) m, venter (nl) m
Esperanto: kolportisto
Finnish: kulkukauppias (fi), kaupustelija (fi)
French: colporteur (fr) m, marchand ambulant m
Galician: chioleiro m, mercachifre m, bofón m, bufariñeiro m
German: Hausierer (de) m
Greek: γυρολόγος (el) m (gyrológos)
Ancient: μεταβολεύς m (metaboleús)
Hungarian: házaló (hu)
Irish: peidléir m, hácaeir m, joltaeir m, mangaire m, fear cairte m
Italian: padellaio m
Japanese: 鬻人 (hisakihito), 鬻人 (hisagibito), 鬻女 (hisakime), 鬻女 (hisagime)
Kumyk: элтивчю (eltiwçü), табушдурувчу (tabuşduruwçu)
Latin: circulātor m, circulātrix f
Ngazidja Comorian: mcuuzi class 1/2
Norman: chinneux m, colporteux m, hotteux m
Occitan: colejaire m, mercadieiron m
Ottoman Turkish: بوغچه‌جی‎ (boğçacı), اسكیجی‎ (eskici), قولتقجی‎ (koltukcu)
Polish: domokrążca (pl) m
Portuguese: camelô (pt) m or f, ambulante (pt) m or f, vendedor ambulante m, mascate (pt) m, vendilhão m, prestamista
Romanian: negustor ambulant m, telal (ro) m, marchitan (ro) m, tolbaș (ro) m, coropcar (ro) m
Russian: коробе́йник (ru) m (korobéjnik), разно́счик (ru) m (raznósčik), офе́ня (ru) m (ofénja)
Scottish Gaelic: ceannaiche-siubhail m
Spanish: buhonero (es) m, vendedor ambulante (es) m
Swedish: krämare (sv) c, nasare (sv) c, hälare (sv) c (stolen goods), säljare (sv) c, månglare (sv) c, handlande (sv) c, handelsresande c, knalle (sv) c, hökare (sv) c
Turkish: çerçi (tr)
Ukrainian: коробе́йник (uk) m (korobéjnyk), офе́ня m (ofénja), розно́шувач m (roznóšuvač)
Welsh: pedler m, pacmon m
Yiddish: פּעדלער‎ m (pedler)

drug dealer — see drug dealer

fake-news disseminator; conspiracy-theory propagator

German: Schwätzer (de) m, Fabulant m (exalted), Waschweib (de) n (pejorative)
Greek: διαδότης (el) m (diadótis), διαδότρια f (diadótria)
Swedish: Krösa-Maja c