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purveyor

purveyor

23 6.7
A person or company that supplies food to shops and restaurants
  • noun
  • /pərˈveɪər/
translation icon : proveedor
  • During the event, a renowned purveyor of exotic cheeses offered tastings to the attendees.
  • purveyors of information
  • purveyors of art
  • purveyor of goods

So they were one of the purveyors of the chocolate scent, which is a delight for me.

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Examples

  • We next visited a vivier, Oneida Fish, a purveyor of live shellfish.

    Academic text (1994)
  • At present, teachers are the primary purveyors of moral instruction, with curriculum and methods left to their discretion.

    Academic text (2004)
  • So Walmart is the fine purveyor of many things.

  • We're on the phone, we're trying to get some from the market, and the purveyor just ran out of these mushrooms.

  • So we get this fish from a a purveyor that flies it in from the Skiji market.

  • So they were one of the purveyors of the chocolate scent, which is a delight for me.

  • Harbor Freight are purveyors of tools of middling quality and incredibly inexpensive prices.

  • The local farmer is a purveyor of fresh organic produce at the weekly market.

  • He was known as a purveyor of high-quality coffee beans sourced from around the world.

Synonyms

provider
vspurveyor
282 2.9

A company or person that supplies services such as internet and electricity

is narrower, stressing food and provision supply rather than any commodity
vendor
vspurveyor
257 2.0

A person or company that sells things, for example at a market

is more about regular supply of food and provisions rather than selling
seller
vspurveyor
257 1.0

A person or company that offers goods for money

emphasises providing provisions or food rather than general sales
retailer
vspurveyor
205 2.4

A shop or company that sells goods to people for home use

can also serve businesses or large groups with provision supplies
supplier
vspurveyor
204 2.7

A company or person that sells goods and services to businesses and people

emphasises food and provisions rather than any goods or services
distributor
vspurveyor
74 3.5

A company that supplies products to shops and businesses

is narrower, stressing food or provision supply rather than general distribution
grocer
vspurveyor
29 1.0

A person who runs a shop that sells food and small things for the home

may supply food on a larger or non-retail scale to buyers
wholesaler
vspurveyor
22 3.5

A person or company that buys goods in large amounts from makers and sells them to shops

often implies supplying food or provisions rather than retail wholesaling
middleman
vspurveyor
14 3.4

A person or company that buys large amounts of goods and sells them to shops

can include direct food supply to end users, not just trade
reseller
vspurveyor
12 3.7

A person or business that buys goods to sell to others for profit

is more about supplying provisions, not just reselling for profit
peddler
vspurveyor
8 5.7

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

is typically more of a steady supplier of food or provisions rather than itinerant sales
merchandiser
vspurveyor
3 4.5

A person or company that buys and sells goods in shops

leans more toward supplying food and provisions rather than retail focus
jobber
vspurveyor
  • Jargon
1 7.8

A person or company that buys large amounts of goods to sell to shops

is centred on providing food or provisions rather than bulk trading
distro
vspurveyor
  • Jargon
1 8.1

A company that buys goods from makers and sells them to shops

is more formal and often used for food or provision suppliers
provisioner
vspurveyor
1 7.9

A person or company that supplies food and goods to a large group, often an army

covers supplying goods more generally rather than organized provisioning
stockist
vspurveyor
  • UK
1 6.1

A shop or company that has and sells goods of a particular brand

focuses more on supplying food items broadly rather than holding stock
poulterer
vspurveyor
1 9.4

A person or shop that sells chickens, turkeys, and eggs

is more general, covering varied food provisioning beyond a single specialty
coster
vspurveyor
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a street stall

can include supplying food at larger scale or to institutions
costermonger
vspurveyor
  • Archaic
1 9.9

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

is broader, covering supply to businesses or organised buyers
concessioner
vspurveyor
1 8.1

A business that sells goods to people at places like a stadium or park

is not limited to fixed concessions and often supplies provisions broadly
victualer
vspurveyor
  • Archaic
9.9

A person or company that supplies food for armies and ships

focuses on supplying goods generally, not only food or groups
distributer
vspurveyor
  • US
3.4

A company or person that supplies goods to shops and businesses

is more focused on supplying food or provisions specifically
grosser
vspurveyor
  • Archaic
7.4

A person who sells goods in large amounts to shops

is more neutral, highlighting food supply rather than wholesale trade
merchanter
vspurveyor
  • Archaic
8.1

A person or company that buys, sells, and moves goods

is specifically about supplying goods, especially food items
furnisher
vspurveyor
4.4

A person or company that supplies goods and services to others

is often used for those who supply food or provisions specifically
vender
vspurveyor
  • US
1.6

A person or business that sells to customers

focuses more on supplying provisions than on direct selling
retail merchant
vspurveyor
2.8

A person or company that sells goods to people in small amounts for them to use

is more often used for supplying food or provisions to others
grain merchant
vspurveyor
3.0

A person or business that buys and sells grains like wheat

is broader, covering all food and provision types not only grains

How Large

wholesaler
22 3.5
distributor
74 3.5
merchant
203 2.1
purveyor
23 6.7
retailer
205 2.4
vendor
257 2.0
seller
257 1.0

Surface Forms

purveyor singular
purveyors plural

Morphology

purveyor = purvey (transparent) = purvey + or

Regular agentive formation from the verb 'purvey' using the productive suffix '-or', so the meaning 'one who supplies' follows directly.

Etymology

Purveyor comes from old French and Latin words that mean 'to provide' and shares the same root as provide and provision. So a purveyor is someone who supplies or brings goods, often food, to others.