Where does “merci” come from?

merci (Dutch) comes from French merci, from Middle French merci, from Old French merci, from Latin mercēs, from Latin merx, from Proto-Italic *merks.

merci (Dutch): thank you

Definitions

  1. thank you

Ancestry of “merci”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmercithank you; mercy, grace
2Middle Frenchmerci—
3Old Frenchmercimercy; clemency
4Latinmercēspay, wages, reward
5Latinmerxmerchandise, commodity; goods, wares
6Proto-Italic*merks—
Every word from Proto-Italic *merks →Every word from Latin merx →Every word from Latin mercēs →