What is the Latin word for customer?

The usual Latin words for “customer” are ēmptor, emō, alō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“customer” in Latin

ēmptorbuyer, purchaser emōto buy, purchase; to acquire, procure alōto feed, to nourish, to nurture; to cultivate, to raise, to rear, etc. (as a child, an animal, etc.); to cause (a thing)

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

customer

emptor; emens (general terms = buyer): *qui opificis alicujus opera utitur (of an employer): emens aliquid: qui emit aliquid (who purchases): empturus aliquid: qui emere vult aliquid (who is going to purchase). A good customer of anybody’s, *qui multa or saepe a aliquo emit (of a purchaser): *qui saepe alicujus opera utitur; *qui operam alicujus exercet, alit, juvat (Bau., ; of an employer): bonum nomen (of one who pays punctually; opposed to malum nomen). He is a good customer of mine, *multum pecuniae ab eo aufero: magnum fructum ex eo capio (Bau.): to drive away customers, emptores deterrere, depellere (Bau.): to take away anybody’s customers, *emptores a aliquo avocare, abducere (Bau.): to be losing one’s customers, *emptores a aliquo discedunt.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for customer?: The usual Latin words for “customer” are ēmptor, emō, alō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.