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mercenary

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mer⋅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.
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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

Related forms:
mer⋅ce⋅nar⋅i⋅ly  [mur-suh-nair-uh-lee, mur-suh-ner-] , adverb
mer⋅ce⋅nar⋅i⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.

Antonyms:
1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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mer·ce·nar·y   (mûr'sə-něr'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain.

  2. Hired for service in a foreign army.

n.   pl. mer·ce·nar·ies

  1. One who serves or works merely for monetary gain; a hireling.

  2. A professional soldier hired for service in a foreign army.


[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.
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Word Origin & History

mercenary  (n.)
c.1386, "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 1532.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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