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buyer

Etymology and origin of the English word buyer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1200
From
Middle English biggere
Ultimate origin
English (buy)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbaɪ.ə/ (UK); /ˈbaɪ.əɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English biggere, byer, an agent noun from buy with the suffix -er.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who purchases: about 1200.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

A redeemer, applied to Christ, is from before 1300 and obsolete.[5] A person employed to buy goods for a store is from 1884.[2][5] Buyer's market is attested from 1886 in Etymonline, 1926 in the OED.[2][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – a purchaser.[5]
  • before 1300 – a redeemer.[5]
  • 1884 – a store buyer.[5]
  • 1886 – buyer's market.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who buys; a purchaser or customer.
  2. A person employed to buy merchandise for a shop or company.

Word family

  • homebuyer

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Buyer.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/buyer. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·