vivandière

American  

[vee-vahn-dyair, vee-vahn-dyer] / ˌvi vɑnˈdyɛər, vi vɑ̃ˈdyɛr /

noun

1. a woman who formerly followed an army or maintained a store on an army post to sell provisions to the soldiers.

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vivandière British  

/ vivɑ̃djɛr /

noun

1. (formerly) a female sutler or victualler offering extra provisions and spirits to soldiers, esp those of the French and British armies

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Etymology

Origin of vivandière

First recorded in 1845–50; from French vivandière, feminine of vivandier, from Italian (masculine) vivandiere “sutler”; viand ( def. ), -ier ²

Example Sentences

He wins the heart of Catherine, a Cossack maiden, who has taken up her quarters there as a kind of vivandière.

From The Opera A Sketch of the Development of Opera. With full Descriptions of all Works in the Modern Repertory. by Fuller-Maitland, J. A.

I longed to be a vivandière among all those fauns.

From Visionaries by Huneker, James

The latter were bestowed upon the French vivandière.

From Fifty-One Years of Victorian Life by Child-Villiers, Margaret Elizabeth Leigh

Met-à-Mort had nominated himself captain of the brigands, and chose Georgette for his vivandière.

From The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 28, April 1893 An Illustrated Monthly by Newnes, George

Last year in the Salon St Elizabeth of Hungary, and Clytemnestra, and Malesherbe’s vivandière were one and the same woman.

From Olive in Italy by Dalton, Moray