Hawker
/ˈhɔːkər/noun
A person who sells goods by calling out in public, or a person who hunts with hawks.
Did you know?The seller sense and the falconry sense are historically connected through the verb *hawk* meaning to peddle or carry around for sale, while the bird of prey sense comes from a separate Old English root for the hawk itself.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hafoc
“a hawk, a bird of prey used in falconry”
Middle English
ME
hawke
“a hawk”
Middle English
ME
hawken
“to sell goods by crying them in public; to peddle”
15th Century
English
hawker
“a person who cries or peddles goods for sale; also one who keeps or flies hawks”
Modern English
English
hawker
“a street seller or peddler; also a person who hunts with hawks”