colporteur

[kol-pawr-ter, -pohr-; French kawl-pawr-tœr]

See more synonyms for colporteur on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural col·por·teurs

[kol-pawr-terz; French kawl-pawr-tœr] /ˈkɒlˌpɔr tərz; French kɔl pɔrˈtœr/.

a person who travels to sell or publicize Bibles, religious tracts, etc.
a peddler of books.

Origin of colporteur

1790–1800; < French, equivalent to colport(er) (see colportage) + -eur -eur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for colporteur

huckster, salesperson, seller, costermonger, hawker, colporteur

Examples from the Web for colporteur

Historical Examples of colporteur

“I take but the proper price,” answered the colporteur, returning most of them to him.
Count Ulrich of Lindburg
W.H.G. Kingston
On a shelf in a corner lay the Bible which the family had received from the colporteur.
In the Track of the Troops
R.M. Ballantyne
But these are not my words,” said the colporteur, “they are the words of God.
In the Track of the Troops
R.M. Ballantyne
It was found to correspond exactly with that of the colporteur!
In the Track of the Troops
R.M. Ballantyne
When they had finished, the colporteur said: "It is good to pray, I believe!"
On the Seaboard
August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for colporteur

colporteur

noun

a hawker of books, esp bibles

Derived Formscolportage, noun

Word Origin for colporteur

C18: from French, from colporter, probably from Old French comporter to carry (see comport); influenced through folk etymology by porter à col to carry on one's neck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012