Haberdasher

WORD OF THE DAY


haberdasher \ HAB-er-dash-er \ noun


Definition
1 : (British) a dealer in notions (such as needles, thread, buttons, etc.)
2 : a dealer in men's clothing and accessories


Examples
Mr. Watson planned to visit the haberdasher during the week to buy some new shirts for his wardrobe.


"There was a time when downtown St. Louis was known for its clothing and shoe companies, haberdashers and other apparel businesses."
— Julia M. Johnson, St. Louis Business Journal, 27 Oct. 2016


Did You Know?
At various times throughout its history, the term haberdasher has referred to a dealer of hats or caps, a seller of notions (sewing supplies, such as needles and thimbles), and apparently (perhaps somewhat coyly) to a person who sells liquor.
Nowadays, with hats not being as fashionable as they once were, the word mostly is applied generally as a clothing outfitter for men, with haberdashery referring to the establishment or the goods sold there. Haberdasher derives via Middle English from hapertas, an Anglo-French word for a kind of cloth, as does the obsolete noun haberdash, which once meant petty merchandise or small wares.