Where does “mercantile” come from?
Mercantile derives from French mercantile, from Italian mercantile, from Italian mercante, from Latin mercans, present participle of mercor, meaning to trade, from merx, meaning goods or merchandise.
mercantile (English): Concerned with the exchange of goods for profit;...
Definitions
- Concerned with the exchange of goods for profit;...
Ancestry of “mercantile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | mercantile | mercantile, commercial |
| 2 | Italian | mercantile | merchant; mercantile, commercial |
| 3 | Italian | mercante | merchant, dealer, trader, monger |
| 4 | Latin | mercans | trading |
| 5 | Latin | mercor | I trade, deal, sell |
| 6 | Latin | merx | merchandise, commodity; goods, wares |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *merks | — |