This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
mercantile
[ mur-kuhn-teel, -tahyl, -til ]
/ ˈmɜr kənˌtil, -ˌtaɪl, -tɪl /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
of or relating to merchants or trade; commercial.
engaged in trade or commerce: a mercantile nation.
Economics. of or relating to the mercantile system.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of mercantile
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
synonym study for mercantile
1. See commercial.
OTHER WORDS FROM mercantile
non·mer·can·tile, adjectivequa·si-mer·can·tile, adjectiveun·mer·can·tile, adjectiveWords nearby mercantile
merbromin, merc, Merca, mercado, Mercalli scale, mercantile, mercantile agency, mercantile paper, mercantile system, mercantilism, mercaptan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mercantile in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for mercantile
mercantile
/ (ˈmɜːkənˌtaɪl) /
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of trade or traders; commercial
of or relating to mercantilism
Word Origin for mercantile
C17: from French, from Italian, from mercante merchant
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