merchandise 
modifies ill general; the -tapir of i 
liusini'ss : romi lit ies, goods, or wares bought 
and sold for gain. Real property, ships, money, 
stocks, and iHiinls are not nmroOJUidbn, nor lire notes or 
other mere ivpiesrntalhes or measures of actual eom- 
moilities or values. [Now never used In the plural.) 
Them shalt not sell her at all for money ; thou shall not 
make tn<'r<ilil<-->' ol IHT. Unit. xxi. 14. 
M en comen azen be Damasce, that is a fulle fayre Cytee, 
and fulle noble, and fulle of alle Merchandite. 
Mandevitte, Travels, p. 122. 
As many alnagers to alner and measure al kinds of mar- 
chandinet which they shal buy or nel by the yard. 
llaicluyt'i Voyayet, I. 210. 
2f. Purchase and sale ; trade; bargain; traffic; 
dealing, or advantage from dealing. 
I wolde make n marchaundyae 
Youre myschetf e to mnrre. York Play*, p. 228. 
For the merchandise of it [ wisdom ] Is better than the 
merchandise ol silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 
Prov. I1L 14. 
Were he out of Venice, I can make what merchandie 
I will. Shale., M. of V., ill. 1. 184. 
If he pay thee to the utmost farthing, thou hast for- 
given nothing; it Is merchandise, and not forgiveness, to 
restore him that does as much as you can require. 
Jer. Taylor. 
Goods, wares, and merchandise. See ;/...../, n. Syn. 
1. Qoodi, Commodities, etc. See property. 
merchandize! (mer'chan-diz), r. i. [< ME. mar- 
ehaundyxen; < merchandise, .] To engage in 
trade ; carry on commerce. 
That none offycer nor puruyonr of y kyngls shall mar- 
chauiutijse by hymself or by odur wythln the cite or with- 
out of thyngis touchyng In - olfyce. 
Arnold'i Chronicle, p. 8. 
They us'd to merchandize Indifferently, and were per- 
mitted to sell to the friends of their enemies. 
Evelyn, Diary, Feb. 5, 1687. 
merchandized (mer'chau-di-zer), n. A dealer 
in merchandise; a merchant; a trafficker; a 
trader. 
That which did not a little amuse the merchandiuri. 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, i. 
merchandizingt (mer 'chan -di- zing), n. Mer- 
cantile business. 
When I went Home, my antlent Father began to press 
me earnestly to enter Into some Course of Life that might 
make some Addition to what I had ; and after long Con- 
sultation Merchandizing was what I took to. 
If. Bailey, tr. of Colloquies of Erasmus, I. 348. 
merchandryt, n. An obsolete variant of mer- 
(liniitri/. 
merchant (mer'chant), n. and a. [Early mod. 
E. also merchannt',' marchant, marehaunt, mar- 
chand; < ME. marchant, marehaunt, marchand, 
< AF. marchant, marehaunt. OF. marchant, mar- 
cheant, marceant, F. marchand = Sp. merchants 
= It. mercante, a trader, merchant, < L. mer- 
can(t-)s, a buyer, ppr. of mercari, trade, traffic, 
buy, < merx (mere-), merchandise, traffic, < me- 
rere, mereri, gain, buy, purchase, also deserve, 
merit: see mercy and merit. Etymologically 
the adj. precedes the noun ; but the noun ap- 
pears to be earlier in E.] I. M. 1. One who 
is engaged in the business of buying commer- 
cial commodities and selling them again for 
the sake of profit; especially, one who buys and 
sells in quantity or by wholesale. One who buys 
without selling again, or who sells without having bought, 
as where one sells products of his own labor, or who buys 
and sells exclusively articles not the subject of ordinary 
commerce, or who buys and sells commercial articles on 
salary and not for profit, is not usually termed a merchant. 
Those who buy or sell on a commission for others are 
termed commixxion- merchants. In the law of bankruptcy, 
which forbids a discharge to merchants and traders who 
have not kept proper books of account, the term has a 
more extended meaning, having been held to include a 
livery-stable keeper who buys hay and grain and indi- 
reetly sells It by boarding horses, but not a broker who 
speculates in stocks. 
Thidre eomethe Marchauntef with Marchandise be See, 
from Yndee, I'ersee, Caldee, Ermonye, and of many othere 
Kyngdomes. Mandeville, Travels, p. 122. 
Ye merchauntes that vse the trade of merchandise. 
Vse lawful! wares and reasonable prise. 
Habeas Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 354. 
A merchant of or In an article is one who buys and sells 
it, and not the manufacturer sellin.it it. A wine grower 
Is not a wine merchant ; even a wine importer is not called 
a wine merchant, hut a wine Importer. 
lord BrammU, Law Rep., 7 Ex. 127. 
Here shall be hi* lielzruvia for his grandee* and this 
his Cheapside and his Lombard Street for the merchants 
and bankers. A. Trollop, South Africa, II. 69. 
2f. A supercargo; the person in charge of the 
business affairs of a trading expedition. 
lie anchored in the road with one ship of small burden ; 
and, pretending the death of his merrlm at . lictnught the 
Ptonch, being some thirty In number, thai the> miirhtbury 
their merchant In hallowed ground. 
Itttlfiith (Arlier's K.np:. Earner, I. Ifi). 
3713 
3f. A merchant ship or vessel; a merchant- 
man. 
The masters of some merchant. Shalt. , Tempest, II. 1. 6. 
Convoy ships accompany their merchants till they may 
prosecute tbe rest of their voyage without danger. 
Dryden, Parallel of Poetry and Painting. 
4. A shop-keeper or store-keeper. [Scotland, 
and generally throughput the U. 8.] 6t. A 
fellow; a chap. [Familiar.] 
The crafty merchant (what-ever he be) that will set 
brother against brother meaneth to destroy them both. 
Latimer, Sermons, p. 115, b. (Xarct.} 
I pray you, sir, what saucy merchant was this that was 
so full of his ropery? Shot., K. and J., 11. 4. 168. 
Custom of merchants, see autum.- Forwarding 
merchant, see/onrardiny. Hong merchants, see 
hanrfi. Merchant of the staplet, a merchant who 
dealt in or exported staple commodities that Is, wool, 
wool-fels, and leather. See utaple. Merchants' Court. 
See court Merchant's mark, in the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries, a device used on a seal and in similar 
wa> s by a merchant or dealer : often consisting of a cipher 
of the letters of bis name, often of a selected badge, and 
not often heraldic In character. 
II. a. 1. Relating to trade or commerce ; com- 
mercial: as, the law merchant. See /"'. 
Sir Peter. Yes, madam, I would have law merchant for 
them too. Sheridan, School for Scandal, U. 2. 
The merchant flag Is without tbe Royal arms, and has a 
narrow yellow stripe at the top and bottom of the flag 
outside the two red bars. PreVu, Hist, of the Flag, p. 92. 
2. Pertaining to merchants; belonging to the 
mercantile class ; engaged or used in trade or 
commerce. 
Up amang the merchant gelr (merchandise;, 
They were as busy as we were down. 
Raid of the Jteidsicirc (Child's Ballads, VI. 136). 
Merchant Adventurers. See adventurer. Merchant 
bar, merchant iron, an iron bar which has been finished 
by passing through the merchant rolls. Puddled bars (see 
tntddle) are worked Into merchant iron or merchant bar 
by being cut Into pieces of suitable length, which are then 
piled in packets, heated to a welding-heat, and then ham- 
mered and rolled, or rolled without hammering, into bars 
of suitable shape to be put upon the market. The amount 
of labor bestowed on tnls process depends on the quality 
of the iron it la desired to produce. Puddled bars which 
havebeen rolled a second time are called "No. 2," and this 
is what is usually designated as merchant bar. It is the 
lowest quality of iron available for the general smith's 
use. If piled and rolled again, the product Is called "No. 
S." Another repetition of the process furnishes an article 
known as "best-best," and still another gives "treble- 
best." Merchant captain or seaman, a captain or 
seaman employed in the merchant service. Merchant 
prince, a merchant of great wealth. 
Many of tbe merchant-princes of Lombard Street and 
CornhUl. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xv. 
Merchant rolls, the rolls of a rolling-mill which turn 
out merchant liar*. Merchant service, the mercantile 
marine; the business of commerce at sea. Merchant 
Ship, a ship employed in mercantile voyages; a ship 
used in trading. Merchant tailor, a trading tailor; a 
tailor who furnishes the materials for the clothes that he 
makes. 
This yere [xix. of Henry VII.) the Uylours sewyd to the 
Kynge to be callyd Marchant Taylour* ; whereupon a grete 
grudge rose amonge dyuers craftys In the cyte agaynst 
them. Arnold'i Chronicle, p. xlll. 
Merchant train. In metal-itwrlcing, a set of rolls having 
a aeries of grooves, decreasing progressively, for reducing 
iron puddle-bars to the sizes and shapes known as mer- 
chant tor. Merchant Ventnrert. a Merchant Adven- 
turer. See adventurer. Merchant vessel a merchant 
ship. 
Ixi, how our Marchant-nuaeli to and fro 
Freely about our trade-full waters go. 
SulvenUr, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, U., The Handy -Crafts. 
merchant! (mer'chant). r. i. [Formerly also 
merchand, marehand;<.OF. marcliaiider, F. mar- 
/linnder, trade, < marchand, a trader: see mer- 
chant, .] To trade ; buy or sell ; deal ; barter ; 
traffic; negotiate. 
His wyfe had rather marchant with you. 
Bernert, tr. of Frolssart s Chron., II. cxxlx. 
And [Ferdinando] marchandetl at this time with France, 
for the restoring of the counties of Kussignon and Per- 
pignian, oppignornted to the French. 
Bacon, Hen. VII. , p. 99. 
merchantable (mer'chan-ta-bl), n. [< ME. 
merchandabte; < merchant, r., "+ -flftte.] 1. Suit- 
able for trade or sale ; salable. 
Ther wyves hath ben merchandabttll, 
And of ther ware compenabull. 
The Horn of King Arthur (Child's Ballads, I. 21). 
Verses are grown such merchantable ware 
That now for sonnets sellers are the buyers. 
Sir J. llaringlon, Epigrams, L 40. 
2. Specifically, inferior to the best or "select- 
ed " quality, but sufficiently good for ordinary 
purposes: as. uii-rt'liaiitnlile vheai or timber. 
3. The highest of the three grades into which 
codfish that have been salted, washed, and dried 
are sorti'd. [Newfoundland.] 
merchant-bar, merchant-iron. *< 
Inn-, under inrrrlmiit, <i. 
merciless 
merchanthood;iiier'eliant-liud), . Tin- 
piitinii of a merchant. 
Hndlni; merchant hood In (ilajgow ruinous to weak 
health. Carlyle, Reminiscences, II. 88. 
merchantlyt (nnVelmnt-li), a. [< merchant + 
-/t/ 1 . ] In a manner befitting a merchant. 
merchantman (mcr'chant-man), n.; pi. mir- 
cliiiiiliiii n (-men). [< merchant + man.] If. A 
merchant. 
The kingdom of heaven U like unto a merchant man 
seeking goodly pearls. Mat. xllL 45. 
The craftsman, or merchantman, teacheth his prentice 
to lie, and to utter his wares with lying and forswearing. 
Latimer. 
2. A ship employed in the transportation of 
goods, as distinguished from a ship of war; a 
trading vessel. 
Likewise had he served a year 
On board a merchantman, and made himself 
Full sailor. Tennyton, Enoch Arden. 
merchantry (mer'chant-ri), n. [Formerly also 
merchandry; < merchant + -ry.] 1. The busi- 
ness of a merchant. 
I wish human wit. which is really very considerable In 
mechanics and merchantry, could devise some method of 
cultivating canes and making sugar without the manual 
labour of the human species. 
Walpole, Letters, iv. 482. (Daniel.) 
2. The body of merchants taken collectively : 
as, the merchantry of a country, 
merciablet (mer'si-a-bl), a. [< ME, mrrcyablr, 
< OF. merciable, merciful, < merci, mercy: see 
mercy.] Merciful. 
That of his mercy God so merciable 
On us bis grete mercy multiplle. 
Chaucer, Prioress's Tale, 1. 230. 
To us alle bee merciable, 
And for.vm- us alle onre mysdede. 
Bymni to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 100. 
merciamentt (mer'si-a-ment), n. [< ML. mer- 
ciamentum, < merciare, fix a fine: see amerce, 
amercement. Cf. merciment.'] Amercement. 
Takynge of mcrceamentyi otherwise then the lawe them 
commaundyd. Fabyan, Chron., an. 1258. 
Mercian (mer'sian), a. and n. K ML. Alercia 
(see def.) (< AS'.' Mirce, Merce, Mierce.Myrcc. 
pi., the Mercians, Mercia) + -m.] I. n. Of 
or pertaining to Mercia, un ancient kingdom 
in the central part of England, extending 
westward to the Welsh border. It reached HH 
greatest height in the seventh and eighth cen- 
turies. 
II. n. A native or an inhabitant of ancient 
Mercia. 
merciful (mer'si-ful), u. [< ME. mercuful; < 
mercy + -ful.] 1. Possessing the attribute of 
mercy ; exercising forbearance or pity ; not re- 
vengeful or cruel; clement; compassionate; 
gracious. 
And the publican . . . smote upon his breast, saying, 
God be merciful to me a sinner. Luke xvili. in. 
I shall both find your lordship judge and juror, 
You are so merciful. Shall., Hen. VIII.. v. 3. (11. 
You are a merciful creditor. God send me always to deal 
with such chapmen : 
The Great Fro* (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 88). 
2. Characterized by mercy; manifesting clem- 
ency or compassion; giving relief from danger, 
need, or suffering. 
Virtues which are merciful, nor weave 
Snares for the failing. 
Byron. Childe Harold, III. 114. 
= 8yn. Humane, Merciful (see >ntmant\ lenient, mild, 
tender-hearted. 
mercifully (mer'si-ful-i), adv. In a merciful 
manner; with compassion or pity; in mercy; 
tenderly; mildly: as, mercifully spared. 
Good Kate, mock me mercifully. 
Shot., Hen. V., v. 2. 214. 
All persons vnjustly exll'd by Nero ... he mercifully 
restored againe to their country and honour. 
Sir U. Saale, tr. of Tacitus, p. 11. 
mercifulness (mer'si-ful-nes), . The quality 
of being merciful ; tenderness toward the faults 
or needs of others ; readiness to forgive offense 
or relieve suffering. 
mercifyt, v. t. [< mercy + -fy.~\ To pity. 
Many did deride. 
Whitest she did weepe, of no man merciiide. 
Speiuer, F. Q., VI. Til. Si 
merciless (mer'si-les), a. [< merry + -/*.] 
1. Destitute of mercy; unfeeling; pitiless; 
hard-hearted; em el; relentless; unsparing: as, 
a merciless tyrant. 
The foe is mercUru. and will not pity ; 
For at their hands I hare deserved no pity. 
Shot., S Hen. VT , II. 8. 25. 
She ws mercile** In exacting retribution. 
Prenentt, Ferd. and !., II. HI 
