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Glite Dictionary
barrow-woman

barrow-woman

9.9
A woman who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in a street market
  • noun
  • /ˈbærəʊ ˈwʊmən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vendedora de frutas
  • Many barrow-women sell fresh produce at the market.

Examples

  • A local barrow-woman always had the freshest produce available each morning.

  • Historically, a barrow-woman would be a familiar sight in London markets.

  • The barrow-woman called out the price of her apples to passing shoppers.

  • The barrow-woman shouted to attract customers.

  • The barrow-woman shouted out her prices, attracting customers with her fresh produce.

  • Every Saturday, the barrow-woman sets up her stall in the market, selling colorful fruits and vegetables.

  • As I walked through the street, I noticed a barrow-woman offering ripe tomatoes and crisp lettuce.

Synonyms

costermonger
vsbarrow-woman
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a cart in the street

applies more broadly to market and street sellers beyond city cart use
coster
vsbarrow-woman
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a street stall

means sellers who sell from a mobile cart rather than a fixed stall
barrow-girl
vsbarrow-woman
  • Archaic
9.1

A woman who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in a street market

is the same meaning but uses an adult rather than a young term
barrow boy
vsbarrow-woman
  • Archaic
8.6

A young person who sells goods from a small handcart in a market

denotes an adult female seller instead of a young or male vendor

Surface Forms

barrow-woman singular
barrow-women plural

Morphology

barrow-woman = barrow + woman (transparent) = barrow + woman

The compound denotes a woman associated with a barrow (i.e., who sells from a barrow), which is a straightforward, literal composition easily understood by learners.

Etymology

Barrow-woman comes from barrow, which means 'cart' and is the same barrow you see in wheelbarrow. A helpful way to remember it is to picture a woman selling fruit and vegetables from a small cart in the street, which is exactly what a barrow-woman is.