Mercantile

Mercantile
Mercantile Mer"can*tile (?; 277), 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. --Arbuthnot. [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. [1913 Webster]

Syn: {Mercantile}, {Commercial}.

Usage: Commercial is the wider term, being sometimes used to embrace mercantile. In their stricter use, commercial relates to the shipping, freighting, forwarding, and other business connected with the commerce of a country (whether external or internal), that is, the exchange of commodities; while mercantile applies to the sale of merchandise and goods when brought to market. As the two employments are to some extent intermingled, the two words are often interchanged. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • mercantile — [ mɛrkɑ̃til ] adj. • 1551; mot it., de mercante « marchand » 1 ♦ Vx Commercial. Spécialt Système mercantile. ⇒ mercantilisme. 2 ♦ (fin XVIIIe) Mod. Digne d un commerçant cupide, d un profiteur. « Sans que jamais rien de vénal et de mercantile ose …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mercantile — I adjective business, commercial, economic, exchange, financial, fiscal, industrial, market, merchandising, monetary, trade associated concepts: mercantile law, mercantile paper II index commercial, i …   Law dictionary

  • mercantile — me‧rcan‧tile [ˈmɜːkəntaɪl ǁ ˈmɜːrkəntiːl, taɪl] adjective [only before a noun] COMMERCE concerned with trade: • Tree crops such as coconuts became increasingly important in the mercantile economy into which the islanders were drawn. • In some… …   Financial and business terms

  • mercantile — (adj.) 1640s, from Fr. mercantile (17c.), from It. mercantile, from M.L. mercantile, from L. mercantem (nom. mercans) a merchant, also trading, prp. of mercari to trade, from merx (see MARKET (Cf. market) (n.)). Mercantile system first appears in …   Etymology dictionary

  • mercantile — [der. di mercante ]. ■ agg. 1. a. [che ha attinenza col commercio o serve al commercio: diritto m. ; porto m. ] ▶◀ commerciale. b. (marin.) [di nave e sim., destinato al trasporto di merci e passeggeri: flotta m. ] ◀▶ militare. 2. (fig., spreg.) …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • mercantile — *commercial …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • mercantile — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to trade or commerce. ORIGIN from Italian mercante merchant …   English terms dictionary

  • mercantile — [mʉr′kən tīl΄, mʉr′kəntil, mʉr′kəntēl΄] adj. [Fr < It < mercante, merchant < L mercans, prp. of mercari: see MERCHANT] 1. of or characteristic of merchants or trade; commercial 2. of mercantilism …   English World dictionary

  • mercantile — mer·can·tì·le agg., s.m. CO 1. agg., relativo o destinato al commercio: codice mercantile; traffico mercantile, porto mercantile Sinonimi: commerciale. 2. agg., di, da mercante: vita mercantile, spirito mercantile | spreg., mercantesco 3. agg.,… …   Dizionario italiano

  • mercantile — (mèr kan ti l ) adj. 1°   Qui a rapport au commerce, qui se livre au commerce. •   Il faut convenir que la littérature, car c est ainsi que cela s appelle, a beaucoup gagné du côté des spéculations mercantiles, LAHARPE Corresp. t. IV, p. 210.… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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