Byer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who purchases goods or services, especially as a customer or a buyer for an organization
2. A person who acquires merchandise by paying for it, often in a trade or commercial setting
3. The individual on the receiving end of a sale who takes ownership of an item by paying for it

Etymology: Scots and northern English speakers use "byer" as a variant spelling of "byre," a shed for cattle. Its roots point to a dwelling rather than a barn. In Old English, "byre" meant a cowshed, but it grew from the Germanic base "*būraz," meaning a dwelling or dwelling-place, and that base also gave English "bower," originally a private chamber or shelter. Old Norse "búr" shows the same pairing, meaning both a storeroom and an animal pen. The shared sense of an enclosed space is probably the thread that links a lady's bower to a cow's shelter. Both words come from the verb "to dwell" or "to be," which also lies behind "bide" and "build" through the same ancient stem.