merchant
[ mur-chuh nt ]
/ ˈmɜr tʃənt /
noun
a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
a storekeeper; retailer: a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.
Chiefly British.
a wholesaler.
adjective
pertaining to or used for trade or commerce: a merchant ship.
pertaining to the merchant marine.
Steelmaking.
(of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.
Origin of merchant
1250–1300; Middle English
marchant < Old French
marcheant < Vulgar Latin
*mercātant- (stem of
*mercātāns), present participle of
*mercātāre, frequentative of Latin
mercārī to trade, derivative of
merx goods
OTHER WORDS FROM merchant
mer·chant·like, adjective out·mer·chant, nounWords nearby merchant
Example sentences from the Web for merchant
British Dictionary definitions for merchant (1 of 2)
merchant
/ (ˈmɜːtʃənt) /
noun
a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader
mainly US and Canadian
a person engaged in retail trade
(esp in historical contexts) any trader
derogatory
a person dealing or involved in something undesirable
a gossip merchant
(modifier)
- of the merchant navya merchant sailor
- of or concerned with tradea merchant ship
verb
(tr)
to conduct trade in; deal in
Derived forms of merchant
merchant-like, adjectiveWord Origin for merchant
C13: from Old French, probably from Vulgar Latin
mercātāre (unattested), from Latin
mercārī to trade, from
merx goods, wares
British Dictionary definitions for merchant (2 of 2)
Merchant
/ (ˈmɜːtʃənt) /
noun
Ismail (ˈɪzmeɪəl). 1936–2005, Indian film producer, noted for his collaboration with James Ivory on such films as Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Europeans (1979), A Room with a View (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The Golden Bowl (2000)