Etymologically
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mercatus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word mercatus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (merx)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [mɛrˈkaː.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [merˈkaː.tus][1]

Forms

mercātus m (genitive mercātūs); fourth declension[1]

Etymology

It is from mercor “to trade” with the suffix of action nouns -tus.[2][1][3] Isidore says it is named from ⟨commercium⟩, because things are sold there.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Plautus, whom he dates c. 250–184 BC, and Lewis and Short cite Plautus' Poenulus.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a gathering for trade, a market or fair, and the trading there.[2] Lewis and Short give trade, traffic, buying and selling, as Plautus' market of courtesans by the temple of Venus and Cicero's turpissimus mercātus “a most shameful trade”.[5][6] Gaffiot adds a market place, as in Plautus, and a public market or fair, as in Cicero.[6] Nonius distinguishes merx, the goods, mercātūra, the trading, and mercātus, the place.[3]

In Medieval Latin it meant a market place, the right to hold a market, and the royal right over markets.[7] British Medieval Latin used it of a market or fair and the right to hold one.[8] It survives in Italian mercato, Spanish and Portuguese mercado and Old French marchié, and through Old North French market it gave English market in the early 12th century.[1][9]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a market.[5][6][4]
  • 86–34 BC – Sallust has the word.[4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a fair and of trade.[6][4]
  • early 12th century – English market is recorded.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A market, fair; a market place.[2][6]
  2. Trade, buying and selling.[5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) The right to hold a market.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Mercatus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/mercatus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·