Where does “merci” come from?

merci (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman merci, from Latin mercēs, from Latin merx, from Proto-Italic *merks.

Ancestry of “merci”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normanmercimercy; clemency
2Latinmercēspay, wages, reward
3Latinmerxmerchandise, commodity; goods, wares
4Proto-Italic*merks—
Every word from Proto-Italic *merks →Every word from Latin merx →Every word from Latin mercēs →