Achatour

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic word for a person who buys goods, especially an official who purchases provisions for a household or institution
2. A purchaser of supplies, once used for an agent who acquired food and other necessities for a royal or noble establishment
3. Old term for a buyer, particularly a steward or officer charged with procuring provisions for a large household

Etymology: An "achatour" was a buyer, and more specifically an official who bought provisions on behalf of a household, college or institution. The word reached Middle English from Anglo-Norman "achatour", which itself came from Old French "achateor" and "achateur", meaning "buyer" or "provider". Its root is the Old French verb "achater", "to buy" or "to provide", which descends from Late Latin "accaptare", formed from "ad" ("to") and "captare" ("strive for"). The Latin verb "captare" carried the sense of grasping or striving after something, so "accaptare" pointed toward acquiring things. That same idea of reaching for goods runs through the French verb, which is why a word that began as a Latin notion of seeking eventually named the person who did the purchasing. The English form kept the sense of a provider of supplies rather than a general shopper.