merchantry

M3E1R1C3H4A1N1T1R1Y4
/ˈmɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃəntɹi/

noun

The body of merchants taken collectively.

“the merchantry of a country”

OriginEnglish merchant ← Middle English marchaunt ← Anglo-Norman marchaunt →
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Meanings

nounmerchantry (usually uncountable, plural merchantries)

plural merchantries

  1. dateduncountableusuallyThe body of merchants taken collectively.

    the merchantry of a country

  2. dateduncountableusuallyThe business of a merchant; merchandise.

    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.

    1789, Horace Walpole, letter to Miss Hannah More

Origin

  1. Proto-Italic*merks
  2. Latinmerx
  3. Latinmercor
  4. Latinmercāns
  5. Anglo-Normanmarchaunt
  6. Middle Englishmarchaunt
  7. Englishmerchant
  8. Englishmerchantry

From merchant + -ry.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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