vendor
VEN-dor
/ˈven.dər/
A person or company offering something for sale, especially a trader in the street.
Can refer to a humble street seller or a large software provider in a business context.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'vendere', which is a contraction of 'venum dare' (to give for sale). 'Venum' meant 'sale' and 'dare' meant 'to give'.
Word relationships
- seller: Seller is a general term; vendor is often used for street traders or in business-to-business contexts.
- merchant: Merchant implies a larger-scale trader, often involved in international trade.
- buyer: The person who purchases the goods.
- consumer: The person who uses the goods.
Commonly confused with
- vender: 'Vender' is an alternative spelling, but 'vendor' is much more common in American and British English.
Word family
- vend (verb): To sell.
- vending (noun): The act of selling.
Collocations
- street vendor
- approved vendor
- food vendor
Example sentences
- "The street vendor was selling roasted chestnuts from a small cart on the corner." Describing a street scene.
- "The company decided to switch to a different software vendor to reduce costs." In a business report.
Memory hook
A 'vendor' uses a 'vending' machine. The one who sells.
When not to use
In a formal retail store, 'sales assistant' or 'clerk' is more common for the employees.
Fun facts
- In ancient Rome, 'venalicium' was a place where slaves were sold, coming from the same root.
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