Discounter
/dɪˈskaʊntər/noun
A person, business, or retailer that offers goods or services at reduced prices.
Did you know?The word descends from Latin computare, “to reckon or calculate,” whose root putare originally carried the imagery of pruning or clearing away—like cutting excess from a total.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peu-
“A reconstructed root associated with cutting, pruning, or purifying; the precise pathway into Latin putare is debated.”
Classical Latin
Latin
putare
“To prune, clear, reckon, or consider; the semantic connection developed from removing or sorting out what was unnecessary.”
Classical Latin
Latin
computare
“To calculate or reckon together, formed with com- (“together”) and putare (“reckon”).”
Late Latin
Latin
discomputare
“To reckon off, deduct, or subtract, formed with dis- expressing separation or removal.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
desconter
“To deduct, subtract, or allow a reduction in a financial calculation.”
15th–16th Century
English
discounter
“An agent noun formed from discount, referring to someone who deducts an amount or sells at reduced prices.”