mer·ce·nar·y

[mur-suh-ner-ee] adjective, noun, plural mer·ce·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; Middle English mercenarie < Latin mercēnnārius working for pay, hired worker, mercenary, perhaps, representing earlier *mercēd(i)nārius, equivalent to *mercēdin-, stem of *mercēdō, a by-form of mercēs, stem mercēd- payment, wage (akin to merx goods; cf. merchant) + -ārius -ary

mer·ce·nar·i·ly [mur-suh-nair-uh-lee, mur-suh-ner-] , adverb
mer·ce·nar·i·ness, noun
non·mer·cen·ar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·mer·cen·ar·ies.
un·mer·ce·nar·i·ly, adverb
un·mer·ce·nar·i·ness, noun
un·mer·ce·nar·y, adjective


1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.


1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
mercenary (ˈmɜːsɪnərɪ, -sɪnrɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  influenced by greed or desire for gain
2.  of or relating to a mercenary or mercenaries
 
n , -naries
3.  a man hired to fight for a foreign army, etc
4.  rare any person who works solely for pay
 
[C16: from Latin mercēnārius, from mercēs wages]
 
'mercenarily
 
adv
 
'mercenariness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mercenary
late 14c., "one who works only for hire," from L. mercenarius "one who does anything for pay," lit. "hired, paid," from merces (gen. mercedis) "pay, reward, wages," from merx (see market). The adj. is recorded from 1530s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They served mostly as mercenary agents of espionage and as spies.
After all, this is a not a government with an army, but a mining corporation
  with mercenary security.
When it comes to souvenirs, rented transportation and mercenary guides, it
  appears there really is nothing new under the sun.
He continued that employment for the space of five years, being daily useful,
  and not mercenary to his friend.
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