Word of the Day

: June 23, 2013

monger

noun MUNG-gur

What It Means

1 : broker, dealer - usually used in combination

2 : a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is usually petty or discreditable - usually used in combination

monger in Context

According to reports, the singer and actress were involved in a hot romance, but the rumormongers had it wrong-the two were just good friends.

"Inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in the Strip District, a fishmonger wearing orange rubber overalls guided a customer to West Coast halibut for its clean, mild flavor." - From an article by Melissa McCart in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 26, 2013

Did You Know?

Peddlers (especially fish merchants) have been called "mongers" for more than 1000 years. The term traces to a Latin noun meaning "trader." Initially, it was an honorable term, but every profession has its bad apples, and the snake-oil salesmen of the bunch gave "monger" a bad reputation. By the middle of the 16th century, the term often implied that a merchant was dishonorable and contemptible. Nowadays, "monger" is typically appended to another word to identify a trader of a particular type. Some combinations (such as "fishmonger") suggest respectable commerce, whereas others (such as "rumormonger," "scandalmonger," and "hypemonger") imply that a person is trading or spreading information in a careless or deceptive manner.