† costeressn.
Obsolete.
A female costermonger.
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society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fruit > woman
fruitesterc1386
apple-wife1599
apple-woman1607
fruit-wife1611
orange wifea1616
orange-woman1616
coster-wife1661
orange-wench1665
orange-miss1694
fruiteress1713
fruit-girl1750
orange girl1764
fruit-woman1849
costeress1869
1869 Pall Mall Gaz. 13 July 11/2 Wherries..charged to the brim with half-drunken costers and their costeresses.
1899 Daily Mail 24 Aug. 3/3 Elizabeth Potter, a Kingsland costeress, and a female friend entered the Bull tavern.
1912 G. K. Chesterton Illustr. London News 6 July 4/1 A particular case that occurred in the discussion was that of the coster and costeress changing hats on Bank Holiday.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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