monger

English

Etymology

From Middle English mongere, mangere, from Old English mangere (“merchant, trader, dealer”), from Proto-West Germanic *mangārī, from Latin mangō (“dealer, trader”), perhaps from Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon, “contrivance, means of enchantment”), from Proto-Indo-European *mang- (“to embellish, dress, trim”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌŋ.ɡə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌŋ.ɡəɹ/, /ˈmɑŋ.ɡəɹ/
• Rhymes: -ʌŋɡə(ɹ)

Noun

monger (plural mongers)

1. (chiefly in combination) A dealer in a specific commodity.

   Hyponyms: costermonger, fishmonger, ironmonger

   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , lines 369-72:

     If I could meet
     that fancy-monger, I would give him some good
     counsel, for he seems to have the quotidian of love
     upon him.

   • 2005, Los Angeles Magazine, volume 50, number 11, page 111:

     For the freshest wild catch, ask your monger when the fish are running.

2. (in combination) A person promoting something undesirable.

   Hyponyms: warmonger, sleazemonger, scaremonger

3. A small sea vessel.
   • 1790, Wilson Lt. Robert (RN), The Seaman's Manual

     monger: a small sea-vessel used by fishermen.

4. Clipping of whoremonger.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute's client

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

monger (third-person singular simple present mongers, present participle mongering, simple past and past participle mongered)

1. (transitive, British) To sell or peddle something
2. (transitive) To promote something undesirable.
   • 2019 April 25, Samanth Subramanian, “Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands”, in The Guardian‎:

     Once these fears have been mongered, their spread is irresistible.

Derived terms

• mongerer

Translations

Anagrams

• morgen