Hukster

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A petty trader who travels about selling small wares ; to go about offering goods for sale in a loud or persistent way
2. A street seller of cheap small items, often aggressive in pitching them ; to hawk merchandise by moving from place to place
3. One who peddles minor goods from door to door or stall to stall ; to sell small items by persistently promoting them to passersby

Etymology: The "-ster" ending is the surprising part. In English it was once a feminine agent suffix, as in "spinster" and "brewster," so the earliest huckster was a woman who sold small goods. The word likely comes from a Low German or Dutch term for a female retailer, though its exact root is uncertain. The male sense came later. The verb grew out of the noun, describing the loud, persistent calling of a street seller. The meaning then drifted toward aggressive selling in general. In American English, "huckster" came to describe advertising men and anyone who pushes a product with more noise than polish.

Synonyms: peddler, hawker, vendor, trader, merchant

Antonyms: buyer, customer