Where does “mercenary” come from?
Mercenary comes from Latin mercenarius, derived from merces (payment, wages), which developed from merx (merchandise, goods), tracing back to Proto-Italic merk-.
mercenary (English): One motivated by gain, especially monetary; A...
Definitions
- One motivated by gain, especially monetary; A...
Ancestry of “mercenary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mercenarius | hired for pay; mercenary |
| 2 | Latin | merces | pay, wages, reward; rent; bribe |
| 3 | Latin | merx | merchandise, commodity; goods, wares |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *merks | — |