Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

merchant

/ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English

Syllables
mer-chant
IPA
/ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who traffics in commodities for profit.

noun

The owner or operator of a retail business.

noun

A trading vessel; a merchantman.

noun

Someone who is noted for a stated type of activity or behaviour.

Derogatory; Informal

noun

A supercargo.

Obsolete

verb

As a resident of a region, to buy goods from a non-resident and sell them to another non-resident.

name

A surname.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *merks Latin merx Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -or Latin mercor Latin mercānsder. Anglo-Norman marchauntbor. Middle English marchaunt English merchant From Middle English marchaunt, from Anglo-Norman marchaunt, from mercans, from the verb mercor (“to trade, deal, sell”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/
  • British English: /ˈmɜːtʃənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

merchants (plural) marchant (alternative, obsolete) merchaunt (alternative, obsolete) merchants (present, singular) merchanting (participle, present) merchanted (participle, past) merchanted (past)

Derived Forms

merchantability merchantable merchantess merchanthood merchantish merchantlike merchantly merchantman merchantry merchantwoman nonmerchant winemerchant

Phrases

caper merchant coal merchant country merchant dole merchant fanny merchant feather merchant Happy Merchant hop merchant

Frequently Paired Words

mercantile merchandise trade

Synonyms

trader chandler chapman copreman dealer huckster haggler hawker merchant monger peddler retailer

Antonyms

purchaser

Questions

How do you pronounce merchant?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/.
What does merchant mean?
A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
Where does merchant come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce merchant

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “merchant”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɝt͡ʃənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “merchant”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “merchant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.