Where does “merci” come from?

Merci comes from French merci, from Middle French mercy, from Old French merci, from Latin mercedem (payment or reward), derived from Latin merx (merchandise or goods).

merci (English): thank you; An extra card or set of cards that is...

Definitions

  1. thank you; An extra card or set of cards that is...

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 →