1. Retail

Etymoleon - Word History, etymology

This episode explores the etymology behind words associated with retail. The word retail comes from an Old French word retaillier, but what does the Latin tāliāre, which means cut, have to do with selling goods? Shopping centres are referred to as malls in the US, and that comes from the Latin malleus, the word for a hammer - what's the connection between a hammer and shopping? The origins of the words electronic and commerce, which make up the compound word e-commerce, are also explored in this episode, so too are the words stock, grocery, marketplace, return and consumer.