In older English, especially in eighteenth-century poetry, a pander commonly meant a procurer or pimp: someone who profits by arranging sexual vice. More broadly, it can describe anyone who indulges, serves, or exploits another’s appetite for pleasure, corruption, or wrongdoing. The word often carries a strongly condemnatory tone, though in satirical poems it may be used ironically.

Historical usage: “Pander” was a familiar term of moral disapproval in Johnson’s period and frequently referred specifically to a pimp or sexual procurer. Broader modern sense: Today, to pander to often means to gratify or exploit popular tastes or prejudices—for example, “The speaker panders to the crowd’s fears.” Etymology: The word comes from Pandarus, a character in medieval and classical stories who acts as an intermediary in love affairs; his name became associated with procuring illicit relationships. Related terms: Procure, procurer, pimp, sycophant, and enabler overlap in meaning, though pander has particularly strong associations with exploiting vice or sexual desire.