merchant

English

/ˈmɝtʃənt/, /ˈmɜːtʃənt/

noun
Definitions
  • A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
  • The owner or operator of a retail business.
  • A trading vessel; a merchantman.
  • (obsolete) A supercargo.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English marchant borrowed from Old French marchant derived from Latin mercans (a buyer).

Origin

Latin

mercans

Gloss

a buyer

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms