retail
REE-tayl · noun
Old FrenchEnglish
Origin
Retail comes from the Old French verb retaillier, meaning to cut again or cut into pieces.
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Journey
What began as a word for slicing something down became attached to the practice of selling goods in small quantities, rather than in bulk — the language of cutting turned into the language of commerce.
Related words
The word's roots in 'cutting' suggest a family resemblance to other 'tailliers' of cloth and material, like tailor.
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