merchantman

M3E1R1C3H4A1N1T1M3A1N1

noun

A male merchant (person engaged in trade).

“Near-synonyms: merchant (precisely hypernymous), trader”

Similar
merchanttradermerchant shipbottomfreighter
OriginMiddle English man ← Old English mann ← Proto-West Germanic *mann →
RareScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounmerchantman (plural merchantmen)

plural merchantmen

  1. obsoleteA male merchant (person engaged in trade).

    Near-synonyms: merchant (precisely hypernymous), trader

    Synonyms: merchant, trader

  2. Synonym of merchant ship.

    Synonyms: merchant ship

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA male merchant (person engaged in trade).

Similar
merchanttrader

nounSynonym of merchant ship.

Similar
merchant ship

More synonyms by meaning

nouna cargo ship

Similar
bottomfreightermerchant ship
Broader
cargo shipcargo vessel
Also see
bottomfreightermerchant shipmv

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Italic*merks
  2. Latinmerx
  3. Latinmercor
  4. Latinmercāns
  5. Anglo-Normanmarchaunt
  6. Middle Englishmarchaunt
  7. Englishmerchant
  8. Proto-Indo-European*mon-
  9. Proto-Germanic*mann-
  10. Proto-West Germanic*mann
  11. Old Englishmann
  12. Middle Englishman
  13. Englishmerchantman

From merchant + -man.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

merchantman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchantman

MLA

“merchantman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchantman. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “merchantman,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/merchantman.

Source: merchantman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.