mercantile

[ mur-kuhn-teel, -tahyl, -til ]

adjective

1. of or relating to merchants or trade; commercial.
2. engaged in trade or commerce:

   a mercantile nation.

3. Economics. of or relating to the mercantile system.

mercantile

/ ˈmɜːkənˌtaɪl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of trade or traders; commercial
2. of or relating to mercantilism

Other Words From

• non·mercan·tile adjective
• quasi-mercan·tile adjective
• un·mercan·tile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercantile¹

1635–45; < French < Italian: pertaining to merchants, equivalent to mercant ( e ) merchant (< Latin mercant-, stem of mercāns buyer, noun use of present participle of mercārī to buy) + -ile -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercantile¹

C17: from French, from Italian, from mercante merchant

Synonym Study

See commercial.

Example Sentences

Copyright renewed 1969 by August Mencken and Mercantile Safe Deposit Trust Co.

From The Daily Beast

The gulf between mercantile hubs and the polities in which they are lodged is not new.

From The Daily Beast

J. Crew Mercantile, which as of late has only become a name trademarked by the company, could be the next big thing.

From The Daily Beast

Statements rendered by mercantile or collection agencies to inquirers for business purposes are clearly privileged.

From Project Gutenberg

With no mercantile marine of their own to guard, they had a free field for attack in the abundant shipping of their foes.

From Project Gutenberg

He had been connected with the mercantile marine of New York from an early age.

From Project Gutenberg

Above, in the lower lofts, every conceivable human oddity was assembled in a sort of mercantile crazy quilt.

From Project Gutenberg

She thought it was some mercantile speculation which led me from home, and, as you may believe, I did not undeceive her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• economic
• financial
• monetary
• profit-making
• profitable
• wholesale