mercantile system

American  

[mur-kuhn-teel sis-tuhm, -tahyl] / ˈmɜr kənˌtil ˌsɪs təm, -ˌtaɪl /

noun

Economics.

1. a system of political and economic policy, evolving with the modern national state and seeking to secure a nation's political and economic supremacy in its rivalry with other states. According to this system, money was regarded as a store of wealth, and the goal of a state was the accumulation of precious metals, by exporting the largest possible quantity of its products and importing as little as possible, thus establishing a favorable balance of trade.

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Etymology

Origin of mercantile system

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

He also thought that these free trade deals would essentially be corrupted by the people who make the deal, which he called the mercantile system.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2025

The store was on its feet within one year, expanding in two, opening branches in three, and its descendants, a great mercantile system, now dominate a large part of the area.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

That the principal measures which the mercantile system recommended, artificially to increase a nation's wealth, could not produce the immediate effects expected of them, has been shown, especially from the natural history of money.

From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Roscher, Wilhelm

In most direct opposition to the mercantile system, he represents the distribution of the precious metals to be not the cause but the effect of national wealth.

From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Roscher, Wilhelm

The mercantile system, which had sprung up in Spain in the 16th century, held that colonies were to be entirely prohibited from trading, The American colonies. except with the mother country.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5 English History by Various