noun
- a person who buys and sells commodities for profit; dealer; trader.
- a storekeeper; retailer: a local merchant who owns a store on Main Street.
- Chiefly British. a wholesaler.
adjective
- pertaining to or used for trade or commerce: a merchant ship.
- pertaining to the merchant marine.
- Steelmaking. (of bars and ingots) of standard shape or size.
noun
- a person engaged in the purchase and sale of commodities for profit, esp on international markets; trader
- mainly US and Canadian a person engaged in retail trade
- (esp in historical contexts) any trader
- derogatory a person dealing or involved in something undesirablea gossip merchant
- (modifier)
- of the merchant navya merchant sailor
- of or concerned with tradea merchant ship
verb
- (tr) to conduct trade in; deal in
noun
- 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)
n.c.1200, from Anglo-French marchaunt “merchant, shopkeeper” (Old French marcheant, Modern French marchand), from Vulgar Latin *mercatantem (nominative *mercatans) “a buyer,” present participle of *mercatare, frequentative of Latin mercari “to trade, traffic, deal in” (see market). Meaning “fellow, chap” is from 1540s; with a specific qualifier, and suggesting someone who deals in it (e.g. speed merchant “one who enjoys fast driving”), from 1914. adj.c.1400, from merchant (n.) and from Old French marcheant (adj.).