Haberdasher
In the United Kingdom, a haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, and zips[1]; in the United States, the term refers instead to a retailer who sells men's clothing, including suits, shirts, and neckties.
Paavo Nurmi, in 1939, at his Helsinki haberdashery | |
Occupation | |
---|---|
Occupation type | Clothing |
Activity sectors | Retail |
Description | |
Competencies | Sewing, tailoring |
Related jobs | Tailor |
The sewing articles are called haberdashery in British English; the corresponding term is notions in American English.[2]
Origin and use
The word haberdasher appears in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.[3] It is derived from the Anglo-French word hapertas meaning "small ware". A word of unknown origin.[4] A haberdasher would retail small wares, the goods of the peddler, while a mercer would specialize in "linens, silks, fustian, worsted piece-goods and bedding".[5]
Saint Louis IX, King of France 1226–70, is the patron saint of French haberdashers.[6][7] In Belgium and elsewhere in Continental Europe, Saint Nicholas remains their patron saint, while Saint Catherine was adopted by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in the City of London.[8]
References
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, 1989: "A dealer in small articles appertaining to dress, as thread, tape, ribbons, etc.
- Collins Dictionary of the English Language (1979)
- "The British Library, The Canterbury Tales, Caxton's first edition". Molcat1.bl.uk. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- {{cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/haberdasher |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |date= |accessdate=2020-06-17}
- Sutton, Anne F. (2005). The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578, p.118. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-5331-5
- "Catholic Culture, St. Louis IX". Catholicculture.org. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- "Patron Saints Index". 2heartsnetwork.org. 2011-02-16. Archived from the original on 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
- "Company HIstory". Haberdashers. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
External links
Media related to Haberdashers at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of haberdasher at Wiktionary