acheteur

Forms

acheteur m (plural acheteurs, feminine acheteuse)^[1] Anglo-Norman achatiere (1180), Old French acateour (about 1225), achateor, achateuour (1259) and achatierres in the Roman de la Rose; the forms varied until the 16th century.^[2][3][4][5] The feminine acheteuse is recorded in 1701.^[2][6]

Etymology

It is formed from French acheter + -eur.^[2][1][6] The verb, Old French achater, comes from Vulgar Latin *accaptō,^[3][7] which some explain as Latin acceptō remade after captō (“to seize”), and others as a compound of a verb meaning “to seize, procure”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is the Anglo-Norman achatiere in Horn et Rimenhild (1180), meaning “one who buys”.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The noun has followed the senses of the verb.^[6] In 1801 it took the special sense of an agent who buys on behalf of an employer.^[2][6][8] The feminine acheteuse first appears in 1701, in Furetière, with a pejorative note, of a woman who buys a great deal;^[2][6] Littré still gives the sense of a person with a mania for buying.^[4]

Timeline

• 1180 – Achatiere appears in the Anglo-Norman Horn et Rimenhild.^[2][6]
• c. 1225 – The Renclus de Molliens writes acateour.^[2][6]
• 1259 – Achateuour is found in accounts from Poitou.^[2]
• 13th century – Beaumanoir writes aceteur.^[4]
• 1701 – Furetière records the feminine acheteuse.^[2][6]
• 1801 – First used for a buyer working for an employer.^[2][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who buys; a buyer, purchaser; opposed to vendeur: la maison n'a pas encore trouvé acheteur.^[8][2][1]
2. An agent who makes purchases on behalf of an employer, such as a store: elle est acheteuse dans une chaîne de supermarchés.^[8][2]
3. (dated) A person with a mania for buying.^[4]

Adjective

1. That buys: les entreprises acheteuses;^[2][9] (familiar, often humorous) fièvre acheteuse, a compulsive need to buy.^[2][9]

Related words

• acheter
• achat
• racheter

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)