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View synonyms for merchant

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to conduct trade in; deal in
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈmerchant-ˌlike, adjective
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Other Words From

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

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