Where does “mercantilist” come from?
Mercantilist comes from English mercantile with the suffix -ista from Latin, deriving from Ancient Greek -ιστής and -ίζω, ultimately from Latin merx meaning goods or wares via mercor and Proto-Italic merk-.
mercantilist (English): Of, pertaining to, or believing in mercantilism;...
Definitions
- Of, pertaining to, or believing in mercantilism;...
Ancestry of “mercantilist”, step by step
mercantilist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mercantile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mercantile | Concerned with the exchange of goods for profit;... |
| 2 | French | mercantile | mercantile, commercial |
| 3 | Italian | mercantile | merchant; mercantile, commercial |
| 4 | Italian | mercante | merchant, dealer, trader, monger |
| 5 | Latin | mercans | trading |
| 6 | Latin | mercor | I trade, deal, sell |
| 7 | Latin | merx | merchandise, commodity; goods, wares |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *merks | — |
via French mercantiliste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | mercantiliste | mercantilist |
| 2 | French | -iste | -ist; -istic |