trafficker
trafficker Lexical Profile
trafficker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who deals or trades in something illegal, such as narcotics, contraband, or exploited human beings.
"International law enforcement agencies collaborated to apprehend the notorious wildlife trafficker."
A merchant or trader who buys and sells commodities (now archaic).
"In sixteenth-century port records, the Venetian sailor was listed simply as a spice trafficker."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice the inserted 'k' before the suffix '-er', which preserves the hard 'c' sound of the root word 'traffic' in standard English orthography. While 'trafficker' historically referred to any legitimate merchant, in modern usage it almost exclusively denotes someone engaged in illicit trade.
• Rhymes for trafficker
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 16th century from the verb 'traffic' plus the agent suffix '-er'. The root derives from Middle French 'trafique' and Old Italian 'traffico' (trade or commerce), originally referring to any merchant before narrowing to denote a dealer in illegal goods.