pander

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpændə/ (UK); /ˈpændɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is a generalized use of Middle English Pandare,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Italian Pandaro,^[2][3][4] from Latin Pandarus,^[2][3][5] from Ancient Greek Πάνδαρος (Pándaros).^[2][3][4] Boccaccio gave the name to the man who procured Cressida's love for Troilus, and Chaucer took it from him;^[3][4] the story is a medieval invention, and in Homer Pandarus is simply a Lycian fighter in the Trojan War.^[4] The spelling -er was influenced by the agent-noun suffix.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a common noun, a go-between in secret love affairs; a procurer or pimp.^[4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

From procuring for another's lust, the noun and verb broadened to ministering to the baser passions or designs of others,^[7][4] and the verb now usually means to gratify others' lower tastes, weaknesses or prejudices, typically with to.^[2][5][6][1]

Timeline

• c. 1385 – Pandare as a name in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde;^[3][4] the OED dates the proper name c. 1374.^[7]
• 1523 – Merriam-Webster's date for the verb.^[5]
• 1530 – pandar, a procurer;^[3][7][5] Etymonline gives the 1520s.^[4]
• 1598 – the spelling pander.^[3]
• 1602 – verb, to act as a pander to.^[7][3]
• 1603 – one who ministers to others' baser passions.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A go-between in love affairs; a pimp or procurer.
2. A person who caters to or exploits the weaknesses or vices of others.

Verb

1. To cater to the lower tastes or desires of others, or to exploit their weaknesses.
2. To act as a go-between in sexual intrigues; to procure.

Word family

• panderer
• panderage
• panderingly
• panderism
• panderly

References

1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press