mercantile

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: mer=can=tile

CIDE DICTIONARY

mercantile, a. [F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L. mercans, -antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See Merchant.].

 Of or pertaining to merchants, or the business of merchants; having to do with trade, or the buying and selling of commodities; commercial.  [1913 Webster]
"The expedition of the Argonauts was partly mercantile, partly military."  [1913 Webster]

Mercantile agency, an agency for procuring information of the standing and credit of merchants in different parts of the country, for the use of dealers who sell to them. -- Mercantile marine, the persons and vessels employed in commerce, taken collectively. -- Mercantile paper, the notes or acceptances given by merchants for goods bought, or received on consignment; drafts on merchants for goods sold or consigned. McElrath.

Syn. -- Mercantile, Commercial.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mercantile, adj.
1 of trade, trading.
2 commercial.
3 mercenary, fond of bargaining.

Idiom

mercantile marine shipping employed in commerce not war.

Etymology

F f. It. f. mercante MERCHANT

ROGET THESAURUS

mercantile

Barter

N barter, exchange, scorse, truck system, interchange, a Roland for an Oliver, quid pro quo, commutation, composition, Indian gift, trade, commerce, mercature, buying and selling, bargain and sale, traffic, business, nundination, custom, shopping, commercial enterprise, speculation, jobbing, stockjobbing, agiotage, brokery, deal, dealing, transaction, negotiation, bargain, free trade, commercial, mercantile, trading, interchangeable, marketable, staple, in the market, for sale, wholesale, retail, across the counter, cambio non e furto.