monger
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmʌŋɡə/
ipa: /ˈmʌŋɡəɹ/
ipa: /ˈmɑŋ-/
rhymes: -ʌŋɡə(ɹ)
Forms: form: mongers
Etymology: The noun is derived from Middle English mongere, mangere (“dealer, merchant, trader”), from Old English mangere (“dealer, merchant, trader”), from Proto-West Germanic *mangārī (“dealer, merchant, monger”), from Latin mangō (“dealer, trader”) + Proto-West Germanic *-ārī (suffix forming agent nouns, especially denoting occupations). The further etymology of mangō is uncertain; the following possibilities have been suggested:
* From Ancient Greek μαγγανεύω (manganeúō, “to use charms or philtres; to cheat, play tricks; to dress food artificially to make it appear better”), from μάγγᾰνον (mángănon, “means of bewitching, charm, philtre”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *meng- (“to dress, embellish, trim”); or from Arabic ن ج ل (n j l, root relating to pouring out or thrusting)) + -εύω (-eúō, suffix forming denominative verbs of activity or condition).
* From Latin *manicō, *manigō (“deal, trade; to handle, manage (?)”), from manus (“hand”); further etymology uncertain, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”), or *mon-u-.
The verb is either derived from the noun, or is a back-formation from mongering (adjective or noun).
Senses: examples: text: [S]ometime one rich munger or other, buying up a commoditie, and bringing it vvholly into his ovvne hands for to have the monopolie of it, raiſeth the market, and enhaunceth the price: […]
ref: 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXXIII.] Of Sil, Cæruleum, Nestorianum, and Cælum. Also, that All These Kinds Keepe Not the Same Price Everie Yeere..”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 485:
text: With Cracken the attorney, and Mundell the quack, / Send Willie the monger to hell with a smack.
ref: a. 1797 (date written), [anonymous], “[The Loyal Natives’ Verses]”, in Robert Burns, The Poetical Works of Robert Burns […], Edinburgh; London: W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell […], published [1904], →OCLC, page 294:
text: For the freshest wild catch, ask your monger when the fish are running.
ref: 2005 November, “The Food Lovers Guide to Los Angeles: 46 Great Ways to Please Your Palate”, in Kit Rachlis, editor, Los Angeles, volume 50, number 11, Los Angeles, Calif.: Emmis Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 111, column 2:
glosses: Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word.
A dealer or trader in a specific commodity.
examples: text: There is a man haunts the Forreſt, that abuſes our yong plants vvith caruing Roſalinde on their barkes; hangs Oades vpon Hauthornes, and Elegies on brambles; all (forſooth) defying the name of Roſalinde. If I could meet that Fancie-monger, I vvould giue him ſome good counſel, for he ſeemes to have the Quotidian of Loue vpon him.
ref: c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 197, column 2:
text: Fvt[elli]. I am not foot-poaſt, / No pedlar of Aviſo's, no monopoliſt / Of forged Corantos, monger of Gazets. / Pie[ro]. Monger of courtezans, fine Futelli, / In certaine kinde a merchant of the ſtaple / For vvares of uſe and trade, a taker up.
ref: c. 1638 May 13 (date licensed; Gregorian calendar), Iohn Ford [i.e., John Ford], The Ladies Triall. […], London: […] E. G. for Henry Shephard, […], published 1639, →OCLC, Act I, signature B, recto:
text: [T]he impatient Stateſ-Monger / Could novv contain himſelf no longer, / VVho had not ſpar'd to ſhevv his Piques, / Againſt th' Haranguers Politicks?
ref: 1677 (indicated as 1678), [Samuel Butler], “Canto II”, in Hudibras. The Third and Last Part. […], London: […] Simon Miller, […], →OCLC, page 151:
text: The nice punctilio-mongers of this age, / The grand minute reformers of the ſtage, / Slaves to propriety of ev'ry kind, / Some ſtandard-meaſure for each part ſhould find; […]
ref: 1761 March, C[harles] Churchill, The Rosciad. […], 2nd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Flexney, […], published 1761, →OCLC, page 23, lines 509–512:
text: Yet I hold as little with the humanity-mongers, who deny the necessity and lawfulness of inflicting capital punishment in any case, as with the shallow moralists, who exclaim against vindictive justice, when punishment would cease to be just, if it were not vindictive.
ref: 1829, Robert Southey, “Colloquy V. Decay of the Feudal System.—Edward VI.—Alfred.”, in Sir Thomas More: or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 109:
text: As a rule, a knight is a lummux, and sometimes even a labrick, and hence open to pretty poor arguments when they come glibly from a superstition-monger, but even he could see the practical side of a thing once in a while; […]
ref: 1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “The Tragedy of the Manor-house”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 382:
text: For the greatest lunacy of all is that not one of them can see the smallest reason why any human being should be allowed to live unless in addition to supporting himself he can produce a privately appropriable profit for a shareholder or a rent for a landlord. Why, they argue, should anyone organize the work of propertyless men merely to produce their own food? […] At such a point youths of spirit become car bandits and racketeers and kidnappers. What else do our crazy conference-mongers expect?
ref: 1933 July 16 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “An Explanation”, in The Political Madhouse in America and Nearer Home: A Lecture, London: Constable & Co, published August 1933, →OCLC, pages 8–9:
glosses: Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word.
A person promoting something, especially an undesirable thing.
examples: text: Here vvas no ſubtle device to get a VVench. / This Chanon [i.e., canon, member of the clergy] has a brave pate of his ovvn! / A ſhaven pate! and a right monger, y' vaith!
ref: 1633 (first performance), Ben Jonson, “A Tale of a Tub. A Comedy […]”, in The Works of Beniamin Jonson, […] (Third Folio), London: […] Thomas Hodgkin, for H[enry] Herringman, E. Brewster, T. Bassett, R[ichard] Chiswell, M. Wotton, G. Conyers, published 1692, →OCLC, Act II, scene iii, pages 516–517:
synonyms: word: all-nighter
word: curb crawler
word: fare
word: gonk
word: jane
word: Jane
word: jockey
word: john
word: kerb crawler
word: monger
word: muttonmonger
word: punter
word: score
word: short-timer
word: steamer
word: trick
word: wapping cove
word: whoremaster
word: whoremonger
glosses: Clipping of whoremonger (“a frequent customer of whores”).
Hyponyms: airmonger
alemonger
applemonger
apple-monger
balladmonger
ballad-monger
barbermonger
beermonger
bloodmonger
bookmonger
boroughmonger
breadmonger
buttermonger
caremonger
carpetmonger
carpet-monger
ceremony-monger
cheesemonger
coalmonger
cockmonger
cornmonger
corn-monger
costardmonger
costermonger
deathmonger
defeatmonger
dictionary-monger
doom-monger
doubtmonger
dramamonger
eirmonger
fablemonger
fadmonger
fancymonger
fashionmonger
fashion-monger
fearmonger
feathermonger
fellmonger
feltmonger
fictionmonger
filthmonger
fishmonger
flashmonger
fleshmonger
flourmonger
flour-monger
foodmonger
foolmonger
fruitmonger
garlicmonger
ghostmonger
gospelmonger
gossipmonger
grievance-monger
hairmonger
hatemonger
haymonger
hopemonger
horrormonger
horsemonger
hypemonger
ideamonger
ironmonger
ironmongery
jestmonger
jobmonger
landmonger
lawmonger
leasemonger
lease-monger
lightmonger
loanmonger
lovemonger
mass-monger
maxim-monger
mealmonger
meal-monger
meritmonger
merit-monger
metalmonger
miraclemonger
miracle-monger
moneymonger
money-monger
muck-monger
murdermonger
musicmonger
muttonmonger
mutton-monger
mystery-monger
newsmonger
newsmongering
noisemonger
nostrum-monger
panicmonger
panic-monger
pardonmonger
pardon-monger
peacemonger
pearmonger
peltmonger
phrasemonger
phrase-monger
placemonger
place-monger
pleasuremonger
poisonmonger
powermonger
prayer-monger
profitmonger
profit monger
prophecy-monger
pupil-monger
pussymonger
questmonger
race-monger
relicmonger
relic-monger
rulemonger
rule-monger
rumormonger
rumourmonger
saltmonger
scandalmonger
scandal-monger
scaremonger
scrapmonger
secretmonger
sexmonger
shitmonger
slavemonger
sleazemonger
smutmonger
soapmonger
species-monger
spellmonger
spoilsmonger
starmonger
statemonger
statesmonger
stockfishmonger
storymonger
system-monger
talemonger
timbermonger
troublemonger
trouble-monger
twaddlemonger
versemonger
warmonger
watermonger
wealthmonger
whoremonger
winemonger
wiremonger
witchmonger
witmonger
wit-monger
wondermonger
woodmonger
woolmonger
woo-monger
wordmonger
Derived terms: english: partly a back-formation
translation: partly a back-formation
word: mong
word: mongeress
word: mongering
word: mongery