colporteur

[ kol-pawr-ter, -pohr-; French kawl-pawr-tœr ]

noun

, plural col·por·teurs [kol, -pawr-terz, kawl-paw, r, -, tœr].

1. a person who travels to sell or publicize Bibles, religious tracts, etc.
2. a peddler of books.

colporteur

/ ˈkɒlˌpɔːtə; kɔlpɔrtœr /

noun

1. a hawker of books, esp bibles

Derived Forms

• ˈcolˌportage, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of colporteur¹

1790–1800; < French, equivalent to colport ( er ) ( colportage ) + -eur -eur

Word History and Origins

Origin of colporteur¹

C18: from French, from colporter, probably from Old French comporter to carry (see comport ); influenced through folk etymology by porter à col to carry on one's neck

Example Sentences

There was not the same public to welcome the Gypsy as had hailed the Colporteur.

From Project Gutenberg

Will you write the tracts, or get them written, so that I may commence colporteur?

From Project Gutenberg

He is a colporteur, and introduces the Holy Scriptures into families to whom he speaks concerning the things of God.

From Project Gutenberg

Art became a colporteur, a distributer of tracts, a mendicant missionary whose highest ambition was to suppress all heathen joy.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a person of such excellent character and conduct, that he had been selected as colporteur for the neighbourhood.

From Project Gutenberg