haberdasher
Americannoun
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a retail dealer in men's furnishings, as shirts, ties, gloves, socks, and hats.
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Chiefly British. a dealer in small wares and notions.
noun
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a dealer in small articles for sewing, such as buttons, zips, and ribbons
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a men's outfitter
Etymology
Origin of haberdasher
1275–1325; Middle English haberdasshere, of obscure origin; compare Anglo-French habredache haberdashery, hapertas perhaps a kind of cloth
Explanation
A haberdasher is someone who sells clothes and accessories. Do you need a new suit for your uncle's wedding? You should buy one from the haberdasher downtown. The person who owns or operates a haberdashery, or men's clothing store, is a haberdasher. Both terms are considered old-fashioned these days, although fancy shops still use these terms sometimes. In the UK, if you ask someone to recommend a haberdasher, you'll end up at a store that sells sewing notions like pins, needles, buttons, and so on. In the U.S., the original meaning of haberdasher was a "seller of men's caps."
Vocabulary lists containing haberdasher
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
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The Taming of the Shrew
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All My Sons
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One day he steals a box of eyes from a mysterious Haberdasher.
From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2012
About 150 miles to the west in the farm town of Hillsboro, Haberdasher James Scott is equally determined in his decision to stick with the G.O.P.
From Time Magazine Archive
He dumped Gerosa, picked able Deputy Mayor Paul R. Screvane, 46, to run as city council president, downrated Brooklyn Haberdasher Stark to controller.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Cleveland, Haberdasher Milford Click was finally able to satisfy a customer by selling him Milford Click's own shirt.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Haberdasher, a retailer of goods, a dealer in small wares; T. haubvertauscher, from haab; B. have; It. haveri, haberi, goods, wares; and tauscher, vertauscher, a dealer, an exchanger; G. tuiskar; D. tusker; B. tuischer."
From Notes and Queries, Number 46, September 14, 1850 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
