mercantile system

American  

[mur-kuhn-teel sis-tuhm, -tahyl] / ˈmɜr kənˌtil ˌsɪs təm, -ˌtaɪl /

noun

Economics.

1. a system of political and economic policy, evolving with the modern national state and seeking to secure a nation's political and economic supremacy in its rivalry with other states. According to this system, money was regarded as a store of wealth, and the goal of a state was the accumulation of precious metals, by exporting the largest possible quantity of its products and importing as little as possible, thus establishing a favorable balance of trade.

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Etymology

Origin of mercantile system

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mercantile system

He also thought that these free trade deals would essentially be corrupted by the people who make the deal, which he called the mercantile system.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2025

The store was on its feet within one year, expanding in two, opening branches in three, and its descendants, a great mercantile system, now dominate a large part of the area.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Even the violent opponent of the mercantile system, Boisguillebert, could not entirely escape this view.

From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Roscher, Wilhelm

Are regulated according to the mercantile system, ib.,

From An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Garnier, Germain

This system, which our writers have called the mercantile system, consists in opposing, by prohibitions and duties, such foreign productions as might ruin our manufacturers by their competition.

From What Is Free Trade? An Adaptation of Frederic Bastiat's "Sophismes Éconimiques" Designed for the American Reader by Bastiat, Frédéric