Where does “merchantman” come from?
Merchantman comes from English merchant and English man, with merchant deriving from Middle English man, Latin mercans (trader), Latin mercor (to trade), Latin merx (goods), and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm and men-.
merchantman (English): A merchant; A cargo ship, engaged in commercial...
Definitions
- A merchant; A cargo ship, engaged in commercial...
Ancestry of “merchantman”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -man | Someone who is an expert in an area or who takes... |
| 2 | Middle English | -man | — |