Salesperson

/ˈseɪlzpɜːrsən/ noun

Definition

A person whose job is to convince customers to buy products or services from a store or business.

Etymology

A compound word combining 'sales' (from Old Norse 'sala' meaning 'to sell') and 'person' (from Latin 'persona' meaning 'an individual'). The term replaced older gendered words like 'salesman' and 'saleswoman' to be more inclusive.

Kelly Says

The evolution from 'salesman' to 'salesperson' happened in the 1970s, making this an accidental record of when society decided job titles shouldn't assume someone's gender—language actually captures social change in real time.

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