Word of the Day

: January 8, 2017

haberdasher

noun HAB-er-dash-er

What It Means

1 : (British) a dealer in notions (such as needles, thread, buttons, etc.)

2 : a dealer in men's clothing and accessories

haberdasher in Context

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.