poulterer

A poulterer is a tradesperson who sells poultry and related products. Traditionally, the term referred to a stall or shopkeeper dealing in chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, and other birds, often providing dressed meat, plucked and eviscerated, and occasionally cooked or smoked to order. Poulterers may operate as retailers, wholesalers, or market traders and may also handle eggs in some markets.

Etymology: The word derives from Old French pouletier, from poulet “young chicken,” which in turn comes from Latin pullus. The term entered English in the Middle Ages and signified both the trade and the person who practiced it.

History: In medieval and early modern Europe, poulterers formed a distinct craft within urban markets and, in some places, within guild structures or livery companies. They kept live birds in yards behind shops, prepared birds for sale, and supplied households, taverns, and communities with poultry and related products. Regulations often governed weights, pricing, and preparation methods.

Modern usage: Today the profession is less common as a discrete trade in many regions; most poultry sales occur through general butchers, meat markets, supermarkets, or farming operations. The term persists in historical contexts and in some regions as a traditional title or surname and in the names of surviving poultry businesses or guilds, such as the historical Poulters' Company in London.