haberdasher
/ˈhabəˌdaʃə
/noun
1British A dealer in small items used in sewing, such as buttons, zips, and thread.Among the shops nearby were a grocers, a haberdashers, a sweet shop and a tripe shop....
- Early in the nineteenth century, the number of tailors, furriers, jewellers and haberdashers rose steeply.
- In those days there was a lot going on in the village, which boasted not only seven grocers, but also seven pubs, two greengrocers, two butchers, a chemists, a haberdashers and a post office.
2North American A dealer in men’s clothing.Drapers and milliners, haberdashers and tailors, mercers and glovers - these were the ubiquitous tradespeople and retailers of King Street....
- A tailor and a haberdasher enter with new clothes and a new hat for the couple's return to her house in Padua.
- Mirror makers, picture framers, artists, cutlers, wig-makers, glass sellers, haberdashers and tailors all jostled for business alongside numerous coffee houses and taverns.
Origin
Middle English: probably based on Anglo-Norman French hapertas, perhaps the name of a fabric, of unknown origin. In early use the term denoted a dealer in a variety of household goods, later also specifically a hatter. Current senses date from the early 17th century.