sutler

[ suht-ler ]

noun

(formerly) a person who followed an army or maintained a store on an army post to sell provisions to the soldiers.

Origin of sutler

1580–90; <early Dutch soeteler (now zoetelaar), equivalent to soetel(en) to do dirty work, work poorly (akin to soot) + -er-er¹

Other words from sutler

sut·ler·ship, noun

Words Nearby sutler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sutler in a sentence

It was reported that he had once held the post of sutler in a regiment of Eastern troops.
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral | John Dunloe Carteret
So the name of a street has become the much-berated canteen of the sutler and the much needed canteen of the soldier.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
Next to a sutler, or a conceited, fresh young Aid, the soldiers always delighted to see a Wagonmaster get into trouble.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6) | John McElroy
Frequently he walked some distance from the fort, going out towards the sutler's house, where he sometimes had business.
Four American Indians | Edson L. Whitney
At last a fine day dawned, and shortly after noon Osceola saw from his hiding place two men approaching the sutler's house.
Four American Indians | Edson L. Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for sutler

sutler

/ (ˈsʌtlə) /

noun

(formerly) a merchant who accompanied an army in order to sell provisions to the soldiers

Origin of sutler

C16: from obsolete Dutch soeteler, from Middle Low German suteler, from Middle High German sudelen to do dirty work; related to soot, seethe

Derived forms of sutler

sutlership, noun

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

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