Etymologically
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merx

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈmɛrks][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈmɛrks][1]

Forms

merx f (genitive mercis); third declension[1] Plautus uses the nominative mers.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *merk- (“trade, exchange”), a stem also found in Faliscan and Oscan; its further origin is unknown.[2][3][4][1] The god Mercurius was probably the god of exchange.[2] Walde–Hofmann thought his name Etruscan, and de Vaan notes the stem itself could be too.[2]

Compare Faliscan mercui (“to Mercury”) and Oscan amiricum (“commerce”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,[2][5] who says proba merx facile emptorem reperit, “good wares easily find a buyer”.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

It meant a commodity and, in the plural, goods or merchandise, and Plautus used it as an insult, “you're bad goods”.[3][7] It also meant trade or sale, as in Pliny, and once a price.[3] From it came mercārī “to trade”, mercātus “market” and mercātor “merchant”.[2]

Medieval texts also spell it marca and mercha.[1][8] It survives as Italian merce.[1] English market comes from mercatus and merchant from the related verb.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for goods and as an insult.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of foreign goods.[7][5]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it for trade.[3][5]
  • early 12th century – English market is first recorded.[9]
  • early 13th century – English merchant is first recorded.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A commodity, (plural) goods, merchandise.[3][6]
  2. Trade, sale.[3]
  3. A price.[3]

Word family

  • commercium
  • mercalis
  • mercēs
  • mercimōnium
  • prōmercium
  • mercor
  • English market
  • English merchant
  • English commerce

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes merx, wares already made for sale, from mercimonium, materials that can become wares.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Novum Glossarium Mediae Latinitatis ab anno DCCC usque ad annum MCC (1957–), Copenhagen / Geneva / Paris: Union Académique Internationale; IRHT
  9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper