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Glite Dictionary
chapwoman

chapwoman

9.9
A woman who travels between places selling small goods like ribbons and buttons
  • noun
  • Archaic
: vendedora ambulante
  • The traveling chapwoman made her living selling wares from village to village.

Examples

  • Every Saturday, a chapwoman visits our neighborhood.

  • The chapwoman sold fresh fruits at the market.

  • During the fair, a chapwoman offered ribbons and buttons to passersby.

  • In the old market records, a chapwoman is listed among the traders.

  • During the fair, a chapwoman offered ribbons and buttons to passersby.

  • The traveling chapwoman made her living selling wares from village to village.

  • Every Saturday, a chapwoman visits our neighborhood.

Synonyms

peddler
vschapwoman
11 5.7

A person who travels to sell small goods in streets or markets

is the female version of that traveling seller rather than the neutral term
hawker
vschapwoman
  • UK
5 7.4

A person who sells goods in the street or at markets

is the female traveling seller not limited to streets or markets
packwoman
vschapwoman
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who travels to sell goods at markets or fairs

is used for a traveling seller of any gender rather than only females

How Established

merchant
173 2.1
vendor
190 2.0
shopkeeper
28 1.9
staller
1 6.0
hawker
  • UK
5 7.4
chapwoman
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

chapwoman singular
chapwomen plural

Morphology

chapwoman = chap + woman (semi-transparent) = chap + woman

Formally compositional (chap + woman), but 'chap' as 'peddler' is archaic and modern 'chap' usually means 'man', so the precise meaning ('female peddler') may not be obvious to typical learners.

Etymology

Chapwoman comes from the old word chap, which meant 'trade' or 'market', plus woman, so it literally means a woman who sells things. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a travelling seller — a woman who moves from place to place selling goods, which is exactly what a chapwoman was.