Also 8 fruitress. [f. as prec. + -ESS.] A female seller of fruit.
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 87, 20 June, ¶ 1. The hackney-coachmen, chairmen, and porters, are the Lovers of the hawker-women, fruitresses, and milk-maids.
1809. Sporting Mag., XXXIV. 244. The fair fruiteress, it seems was jealous of her neighbour.
1823. Lamb, Elia, My First Play. The fashionable pronunciation of the theatrical fruiteresses then was ‘Chase some oranges’ … chase pro chuse.
