merchant

views updated May 23 2018

mer·chant / ˈmərchənt/ • n. 1. a person or company involved in wholesale trade, esp. one dealing with foreign countries or supplying merchandise to a particular trade: the area's leading timber merchant | a tea merchant. ∎  a retail trader; a store owner: the credit cards are accepted by 10 million merchants worldwide. ∎  (esp. in historical contexts) a person involved in trade or commerce: prosperous merchants and clothiers had established a middle class. 2. inf., chiefly derog. a person with a partiality or aptitude for a particular activity or viewpoint: his driver was no speed merchant | a merchant of death. • adj. of or relating to merchants, trade, or commerce: the growth of the merchant classes. ∎  (of ships, sailors, or shipping activity) involved with commerce rather than military activity: a merchant seaman.

merchant

views updated Jun 27 2018

merchant Merchant Adventurers an English trading guild which was involved in trade overseas, principally with the Netherlands (and later Germany) during the 15th–18th centuries. Established in 1407, it engaged chiefly in the lucrative business of exporting woollen cloth. It was formally disbanded in 1806.
merchant prince a person who has acquired sufficient wealth from trading to wield political influence.