realtor English · revision 1164

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed in American English from [[realty]] and [[-or]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) as if an agent noun of ''realty''.^(Etymonline) Etymonline credits the coinage to the Minneapolis real-estate agent Charles N. Chadbourn, who wanted to distinguish the reputable part of the trade.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A real-estate agent (1916).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In 1916 the National Association of Real Estate Boards adopted the word as the title of its active members,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and it defended the term in court before registering ''Realtor'' as a collective mark in 1948.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) In general use it is often written in lower case for any real-estate agent.^(AHD)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1916 – coined and adopted by the real-estate boards.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1920s – popularized.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1948 – registered as a collective mark.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[real estate]] agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors (a [[service mark]]).^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)

+ # Any person or business that sells or leases property as an agent for the owner.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[realty]]

+ * [[real estate]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Merriam-Webster marks a pronunciation with an extra vowel between the ''l'' and the ''t'' as questioned by some,^(MW Collegiate) and Wiktionary also labels it as proscribed.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}