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

verb

1. (tr) to conduct trade in; deal in

Merchant

²

/ ˈmɜːtʃənt /

noun

1. 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)

Other Word Forms

• merchantlike adjective
• outmerchant noun
• merchant-like adjective

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

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

Example Sentences

The surge in GMV suggests that despite headwinds, consumers are actively spending on merchants and storefronts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I would often fly through the last couple miles at sub-8 minute paces dodging the fake handbag merchants and horse manure overflows that line Central Park South.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Before joining the monastery 19 years ago, he told me, he’d worked as a sailor on Black Sea merchant ships.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Fiserv processes credit- and debit-card transactions for banks and merchants, and provides a range of other services to firms in the business of moving money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We require all merchants to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and safety standards, and we maintain a comprehensive quality control system to prevent, detect, and remove non-compliant products.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• broker 
• dealer 
• exporter www.thesaurus.com
• operator 
• retailer www.thesaurus.com
• seller 
• shipper 
• shopkeeper 
• trader 
• trafficker www.thesaurus.com
• vendor 
• wholesaler