Etymologically
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marchand

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Pronunciation

  • /maʁ.ʃɑ̃/[1]

Forms

marchand m (plural marchands, feminine marchande)[1] Old French marchedant (about 980), marchaant (about 1050), marcheant (about 1140) and marchant (about 1290); marchand is written from the 15th century.[2][3][4] The feminine marcheande is recorded about 1205.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French marcheant, inherited from Vulgar Latin *mercatantem, the accusative of *mercatāns, present participle of a verb *mercatō (“to trade”) reconstructed from Italian mercatare and Old Occitan mercadar (“to buy”), and formed on Latin mercātus (“market”).[5][6][4][7] Classical Latin said mercor (“to trade”) and mercātor (“merchant”); the latter survives in Italian mercatore and Catalan mercader.[6][5] The modern form arose from the Old French one by contraction.[6]

Cognate with Italian mercatante and Spanish mercadante.[6][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found as marchedant in the Clermont Passion (late 10th century), meaning a person who trades.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In Old French marcheant could also mean a willing buyer (about 1200), and the adjective described a busy trading street, as in Villehardouin's grans rues marcheandes.[2][9] Phrases such as marchant foraint, a merchant bringing goods from elsewhere (1322), marchand détailleur (1606), marchande à la toilette (1723) and marchand des quatre saisons (1840) followed.[2]

In its very general sense the word has given ground to commerçant; it is no longer used of bankers, craftsmen or producers, nor in economics, but stays common with a complement (marchand de…, marchand en…).[5] The verb marchander (about 1200) first meant “to trade”, and marchandise (12th century) meant “trade” until the 16th.[6]

Timeline

  • late 10th century – Marchedant in the Clermont Passion.[2]
  • c. 1140 – Marcheant in Gaimar.[2]
  • c. 1205 – The feminine marcheande.[2]
  • 1322 – Marchant foraint.[2]
  • 1462 – The spelling marchand in the Cent nouvelles nouvelles.[2]
  • 1611 – Cotgrave records bonne marchandise trouve toujours son marchand.[2]
  • 1840 – Marchand(e) des quatre saisons.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A merchant, shopkeeper or dealer, who buys goods to sell them: marchand de chaussures.[10][2]
  2. Marchand ambulant, marchand forain: a street or market trader, marchand des quatre-saisons: a costermonger.[10][4]
  3. Marchand de biens: a dealer in property.[4]

Adjective

  1. Of trade, commercial: la valeur marchande, une rue marchande, la marine marchande.[10][1]

Word family

  • marchander
  • marchandise
  • marchandage

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/2, 6a
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert