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mer·chant

(mûrchənt)

1. One whose occupation is the wholesale purchase and retail sale of goods for profit.

2. One who runs a retail business; a shopkeeper.

adj.

1. Of or relating to merchants, merchandise, or commercial trade: a merchant guild.

2. Of or relating to the merchant marine: merchant ships.

[Middle English marchaunt, from Old French marcheant, from Vulgar Latin *mercātāns, present participle of *mercātāre, frequentative of Latin mercārī, to trade, from merx, merc-, merchandise.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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