the.com/monger
A salesman so committed to one thing the word just attaches to whatever you're peddling.
means A dealer or trader in a particular commodity — and, by extension, someone who deals in or stirs up something less savory (a fearmonger, a gossipmonger).
from From Old English mangere, 'merchant, trader,' borrowed from Latin mango, a dealer (often a slightly shady one, who tarted up his wares to sell them). It survives almost entirely in compounds — fishmonger, ironmonger, cheesemonger — and somewhere along the way picked up a faint whiff of disrepute, so that the things we 'monger' now tend to be fear, hate, rumor, and war.
- old roots
- From Old English mangere, meaning trader or dealer
- goes negative
- Fearmonger, warmonger, gossipmonger — rarely flattering company
- fishy job
- Fishmonger remains a real, current profession
- verb too
- You can monger things, not just be one
fishmonger row london — historic street in london's billingsgate market district, where fish merchants have traded since medieval times
fear mongering fox news — cable network repeatedly accused of sensationalizing stories to drive viewership, particularly during 2016-2024 election cycles