Outfitter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A provider that specializes in selling or renting gear designed for outdoor activities and adventures
2. A business or person who supplies specialized apparel and tools for outdoor pursuits such as hiking and camping
3. An establishment offering a selection of gear and outfits needed for wilderness activities or expeditions

Etymology: The word "outfitter" is a straightforward compound: "outfit" with the agent suffix "-er" attached. The suffix has a long lineage. It traces back through Latin "-ārius", which marked a person connected with a trade or role, and passed into Old French as "-ier" before reaching English through Middle English "-er". Old English had its own "-ere" with the same job, so the ending entered the language from two directions and settled into one of English's most productive ways of naming people by what they do. The base, "outfit", is built from "out" and "fit", meaning to equip or supply someone with what they need. The sense of equipping a person for a journey or undertaking is what makes "outfitter" fit so neatly with expeditions and wilderness trips. An outfitter is, in effect, a shop whose whole business is the act of outfitting.

Synonyms: supplier, provider, vendor, merchant, retailer