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Operator vs Merchant - What's the difference?

operator | merchant |

As a noun operator

is an operator, a service provider, an isp.

As a proper noun merchant is

.

operator

Noun

(en noun)
  • One who operates.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator .}}
  • A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to establish temporary network connections.
  • (mathematics) A function or other mapping that carries variables defined on a domain into another variable or set of variables in a defined range.
  • Chinese whispers.
  • (informal) A person who is adept at making deals or getting results, especially one who uses questionable methods.
  • A member of a military Special Operations unit.
  • (computing) The administrator of a channel or network on IRC.
  • (linguistics) A kind of expression that enters into an a-bar movement dependency and is said to bind a variable.
  • In the sentence "What did Bill say he wants to buy?", "what" is an operator , binding a phonetically empty variable.

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    merchant

    Alternative forms

    * merchaunt (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
  • The owner or operator of a retail business.
  • A trading vessel; a merchantman.
  • * 1611 , , II. i. 5:
  • Every day, some sailor's wife, / The masters of some merchant', and the ' merchant , / Have just our theme of woe.

    Derived terms

    * merchantable * merchant bank * merchant banker * merchant flag * merchant fleet * merchantman * merchant marine * mercantile * merchant navy * merchant prince * merchant seaman * merchant ship * merchant tailor * wine merchant

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • As a resident of a region, to buy goods from a non-resident and sell them to another non-resident.
  • a merchanting service