salesgirl
UK[ˈseɪlzɡɜːl]US[ˈseɪlzɡɜːrl]
n
a girl or young woman whose job is to sell goods in a store.
Morpheme Breakdown
sales
girl
sales
sale
girl
young female
Etymology
the compound noun 'salesgirl' is a modern formation from the late 19th to early 20th century, created to specify a female retail worker. the first element, 'sales', derives from the old english 'sala', which has germanic roots and relates to the act of handing over goods for money. the second element, 'girl', originates from middle english where it initially meant a child of any gender, but its meaning narrowed over time to refer specifically to a young female. the compound logically follows the pattern of 'sales-' + occupational noun, with 'girl' indicating the gender and youth of the worker, reflecting the social and commercial contexts of the period when such roles were commonly gender-specified.
Analysis
Structure: sales (sale) + girl (young female)
sales: from middle english 'sale', from old english 'sala', from old norse 'sala', meaning 'act of selling'. functions as a noun modifier.
girl: from middle english 'gurle', 'girle', meaning 'child, young person (of either sex)', later specialized to 'young female'. functions as the core noun.
Examples
the salesgirl helped me find the right size for the dress.
she worked part-time as a salesgirl in a department store during college.
a friendly salesgirl demonstrated how the new kitchen appliance works.