vivandière

American  

[vee-vahn-dyair, vee-vahn-dyer] / ˌvi vɑnˈdjɛər, vi vɑ̃ˈdjɛr /

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”; see also viand ( def. ), -ier ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vivandière

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 George Newnes

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 J. A. Fuller-Maitland

I longed to be a vivandière among all those fauns.

From Visionaries by James Huneker

Virginie brought down the house with her imitation of a vivandière, standing with her hand on her hip and a wineglass in her hand, which she emptied down her throat as she finished.

From L'Assommoir by Émile Zola

Delescluze has been captured at the Ministère de la Guerre."—"It is false!" exclaims a vivandière; "we have just seen him at the Hôtel de Ville."—"

From Paris under the Commune The Seventy-Three Days of the Second Siege; with Numerous Illustrations, Sketches Taken on the Spot, and Portraits (from the Original Photographs) by John Leighton

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