Chepman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old term for a travelling pedlar who went from town to town selling small wares and goods
2. A traveling trader of the kind who carried small goods from door to door, especially in earlier centuries
3. Historically, a mobile seller of cheap goods such as thread, ribbons and books who moved between villages

Etymology: In Scots, a "chepman" was a pedlar or travelling trader who carried goods from town to town. The form is a northern variant of "chapman," the same word once used across England for a small dealer. Its root is Old English "ceap," meaning trade, barter, or price, which is also the source of modern "cheap." In Old English phrases, "good cheap" meant a good bargain, and London's Cheapside was named for its market. The name later passed to a real Edinburgh merchant, Walter Chepman. With Andrew Myllar, he obtained royal backing to bring a printing press to Scotland, and the early books they produced are still called the Chepman and Myllar prints. The trader's name thus became attached to the country's first printing.

Synonyms: merchant, trader