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monger

Etymology and origin of the English word monger

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmʌŋɡə/ (UK); /ˈmʌŋɡəɹ/, /ˈmɑŋ-/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English mongere,[2][3][4] from Old English mangere “merchant, trader”,[2][3][5][4][6] the agent noun of mangian “to trade”,[5][6] from Latin mango (“dealer, trader”),[2][3][5][4][6] probably of Greek origin,[2][3][4] akin to Ancient Greek μάγγανον (mánganon, “means of charming, philter”).[3][5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A dealer or trader (before 975).[3][7]

Semantic evolution

In compounds -monger has named dealers since the 12th century, as in haymonger (1193), fishmonger and cheesemonger.[3][5][7] From the 16th century it chiefly implied a petty or disreputable trade,[5][7] as in ballad-monger and scandalmonger, and today it often names someone who stirs up something discreditable, as in warmonger.[5][4] The verb, to peddle, is recorded about 1864 in Merriam-Webster and 1928 in Barnhart and the OED.[4][3][7]

Timeline

  • before 975 – Old English mangere, a trader.[3][7]
  • 1193 – haymonger.[3]
  • 16th century – chiefly a petty or disreputable dealer.[5][7]
  • about 1864 – verb, to peddle (1928 in the OED).[4][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A dealer in a particular commodity, usually in compounds such as fishmonger or ironmonger.
  2. A person who promotes something petty, undesirable or discreditable, usually in compounds such as warmonger or scandalmonger.

Verb

  1. To peddle or sell; also to promote something undesirable.

Word family

  • mongering
  • fishmonger
  • ironmonger
  • warmonger
  • costermonger

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Monger.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/monger. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·