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huck·ster

(hŭkstər)

1. One who sells wares or provisions in the street; a peddler or hawker.

2. One who uses aggressive, showy, and sometimes devious methods to promote or sell a product.

3. Informal One who writes advertising copy, especially for radio or television.

v. huck·stered, huck·ster·ing, huck·sters

v.tr.

1. To sell; peddle.

2. To promote or attempt to sell (a commercial product, for example) in an overaggressive or showy manner.

3. To haggle over; deal in.

v.intr.

To sell or promote something.

[Middle English, probably of Low German origin; akin to Middle Dutch hokester.]

huckster·ism n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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