What does purvey mean?
Word: Purvey
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Purvey means to sell or give out food, goods or information to people, often as a business.
How do you spell purvey?
Syllables: pur - vey
Tricky part: The long a sound at the close is spelt ey, not ay.
Watch out for: purvay, purvei, purveigh
Memory tip: A good trader is happy to obey the customer, and obey lends this word its ey.
Purvey in a sentence
Example 1: Street stalls purvey hot pies near the bus station.
Example 2: Most newspapers purvey news along with plenty of opinion.
Example 3: Old shops in the market square still purvey silver jewellery and sweets.
Fun Fact
Purvey goes back to a Latin word meaning to foresee. Early on in English it also meant to equip, and to attend to something in advance, which makes sense: a good trader has to plan ahead.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
For three generations the Mehta family has been proud to pervey fresh mangoes, pickles and roasted nuts to the hotels and railway canteens of the west coast.
a) pervey
b) pickles
c) generations
d) canteens
Show answer
a) pervey. The opening part of the word has a u, as in purple.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it.
A tiny company in Kochi exists to vrpuye organic spices to restaurants across the city.
a) pursue
b) provide
c) purify
d) purvey
Show answer
d) purvey. A y and a v both appear in the jumble, and just one option uses both.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word purvey as used in the sentence:
These kiosks purvey books, maps and postcards to visitors in the hill town.
a) consume
b) borrow
c) supply
d) sample
Show answer
c) supply. The kiosks supply these things to visitors; they do not use them up or borrow them.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. purvey 2. apparatas 3. collegue 4. thesarus
a) a person you work with
b) to deal in goods for customers
c) a book of words grouped by meaning
d) equipment used for a job
Show answer
b) to deal in goods for customers. Apparatus ends in us, colleague needs an a after the e, and thesaurus has a u after the a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A shop sign reads "Purveyors of Fine Teas". What does it tell you about the owners?
a) They test tea for the government.
b) They deal in good teas.
c) They teach the history of tea.
d) They drink tea every morning.
Show answer
b) They deal in good teas.
2. Which feeling does a writer show in the phrase "websites that purvey false rumours"?
a) admiration
b) gratitude
c) disapproval
d) excitement
Show answer
c) disapproval
