merchant

[ mur-chuhnt ]

noun

1. a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
2. a storekeeper; retailer:

   a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.

3. Chiefly British. a wholesaler.

adjective

1. pertaining to or used for trade or commerce:

   a merchant ship.

2. pertaining to the merchant marine.
3. Steelmaking. (of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.

merchant

¹

/ ˈmɜːtʃənt /

noun

1. a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader
2. a person engaged in retail trade
3. (esp in historical contexts) any trader
4. derogatory.
   a person dealing or involved in something undesirable

   a gossip merchant

5. modifier
   1. of the merchant navy

      a merchant sailor

   2. of or concerned with trade

      a merchant ship

verb

1. tr to conduct trade in; deal in

Merchant

²

/ ˈmɜːtʃənt /

noun

1. MerchantIsmail19362005MIndianFILMS AND TV: producer Ismail (ˈɪzmeɪəl). 1936–2005, Indian film producer, noted for his collaboration with James Ivory on such films as Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Europeans (1979), A Room with a View (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The Golden Bowl (2000)

Derived Forms

• ˈmerchant-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• merchant·like adjective
• outmerchant noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of merchant¹

1250–1300; Middle English marchant < Old French marcheant < Vulgar Latin *mercātant- (stem of *mercātāns ), present participle of *mercātāre, frequentative of Latin mercārī to trade, derivative of merx goods

Word History and Origins

Origin of merchant¹

C13: from Old French, probably from Vulgar Latin mercātāre (unattested), from Latin mercārī to trade, from merx goods, wares

Example Sentences

Marks was raised by his schoolteacher mother and merchant sailor father in Kenfig Hill in the county of Bridgend in south Wales.

From BBC

Several times in the past few decades, when park conditions deteriorated, restoration efforts were launched by assorted teams of residents, merchants, public officials, law enforcement agencies and nonprofit saviors.

From Los Angeles Times

The group - which prosecutors described as "merchants of death" - comprised mostly of Iraqi Kurds and were prosecuted after a Europe-wide operation in 2022 which led to arrests in Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

From BBC

Behind bars is where repetitive criminals belong, not on the street stealing merchants’ goods and their customers’ cars, and peddling poison to kids.

From Los Angeles Times

Many Gazans try and send money back to support relatives still in Gaza – but remittance fees are steep and war merchants take a 30% cut.

From BBC

Related Words

• broker
• dealer
• exporter
• operator
• retailer
• seller
• shipper
• shopkeeper
• trader
• trafficker
• vendor
• wholesaler