almotacén
an old official inspector of weights, measures and marketsantiguo inspector oficial de pesas, medidas y mercados
Comes from Arabic
المُحْتَسِب
al-muḥtasib
“the market inspector”«el inspector de los mercados»
Arabic today says
مُرَاقِب الأَسْوَاق
murāqib al-aswāq
Root
ح س ب
ḥ-s-b
The article
Spanish kept the Arabic article al- glued to the word.
The story
The ḥisba was the oversight of markets in the Islamic world: the muḥtasib watched over weights, prices and the honesty of traders.La ḥisba era el control de los mercados en el mundo islámico: el muḥtasib vigilaba pesos, precios y la honradez de los comerciantes.
More from “Market & measures”
aduana
customs — the public office that checks goods entering and leaving a country and collects duties on them · oficina pública que controla las mercancías que entran y salen de un país y cobra sus impuestos
Market & measures
almacén
warehouse, storeroom; a large shop · local donde se guardan mercancías; tienda grande
Market & measures
alquiler
rent; renting, hire · precio que se paga por usar algo ajeno; arrendamiento
Market & measures
arroba
an old unit of weight of about 11.5 kg (a quarter of a quintal); today, the @ sign · unidad de peso de unos 11,5 kg (la cuarta parte del quintal); hoy, el signo @
Market & measures
albarán
delivery note — a document confirming that goods were delivered · documento que acredita la entrega de una mercancía
Market & measures
alcancía
piggy bank, money box · hucha, recipiente para guardar monedas
Market & measures