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- 2 dictionary resultsmer⋅ce⋅nar⋅y
[mur-suh-ner-ee] 
adjective, noun, plural -nar⋅ies.–adjective
| 1. | working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal. |
| 2. | hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc. |
–noun
| 3. | a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army. |
| 4. | any hireling. |
Origin:
1350–1400; ME mercenarie < L mercēnnārius working for pay, hired worker, mercenary, perh., repr. earlier *mercēd(i)nārius, equiv. to *mercēdin-, s. of *mercēdō, a by-form of mercēs, s. mercēd- payment, wage (akin to merx goods; cf. merchant ) + -ārius -ary
1350–1400; ME mercenarie < L mercēnnārius working for pay, hired worker, mercenary, perh., repr. earlier *mercēd(i)nārius, equiv. to *mercēdin-, s. of *mercēdō, a by-form of mercēs, s. mercēd- payment, wage (akin to merx goods; cf. merchant ) + -ārius -ary
Related forms:
mer⋅ce⋅nar⋅i⋅ly [mur-suh-nair-uh-lee, mur-suh-ner-] , adverb
[mur-suh-nair-uh-lee, mur-suh-ner-] , adverb mer⋅ce⋅nar⋅i⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.
1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.
Antonyms:
1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.
1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
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Link To mercenaries
| mer·ce·nar·y (mûr'sə-něr'ē) adj.
[Middle English mercenarie, a mercenary, from Old French mercenaire, from Latin mercēnnārius, from mercēs, wages, price.] mer'ce·nar'i·ly adv., mer'ce·nar'i·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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