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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.
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Mercenary
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is moot. Does it mean:
| existing in one from birth; inborn; inherent in the essential character of something |
| open to discussion or debate; doubtful |
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; compare merchant) + -ārius -ary
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; compare merchant) + -ārius -ary
Related forms
mer·ce·nar·i·ness, noun
non·mer·cen·ar·y, adjective, noun, plural -ar·ies.
un·mer·ce·nar·i·ly, adverb
un·mer·ce·nar·i·ness, noun
EXPANDun·mer·ce·nar·y, adjective
COLLAPSESynonyms
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. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To mercenary
Example Sentences
- He shall be mercenary, and she shall be foolish.
- But creating marketplaces of mercenary intelligences is genuinely novel.
- It's important to document the rise of the professional American mercenary.
Collins
World English Dictionary
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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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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