mercantile

mercantile — [ mɛrkɑ̃til ] adj. • 1551; mot it., de mercante « marchand » 1 ♦ Vx Commercial. Spécialt Système mercantile. ⇒ mercantilisme. 2 ♦ (fin XVIIIe) Mod. Digne d un commerçant cupide, d un profiteur. « Sans que jamais rien de vénal et de mercantile ose …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Mercantile — Mer can*tile (?; 277), a. [F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L. mercans, antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See {Merchant}.] Of or pertaining to merchants, or the business of merchants; having to do with trade, or the buying and selling of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

mercantile — I adjective business, commercial, economic, exchange, financial, fiscal, industrial, market, merchandising, monetary, trade associated concepts: mercantile law, mercantile paper II index commercial, i …   Law dictionary

mercantile — me‧rcan‧tile [ˈmɜːkəntaɪl ǁ ˈmɜːrkəntiːl, taɪl] adjective [only before a noun] COMMERCE concerned with trade: • Tree crops such as coconuts became increasingly important in the mercantile economy into which the islanders were drawn. • In some… …   Financial and business terms

mercantile — (adj.) 1640s, from Fr. mercantile (17c.), from It. mercantile, from M.L. mercantile, from L. mercantem (nom. mercans) a merchant, also trading, prp. of mercari to trade, from merx (see MARKET (Cf. market) (n.)). Mercantile system first appears in …   Etymology dictionary

mercantile — [der. di mercante ]. ■ agg. 1. a. [che ha attinenza col commercio o serve al commercio: diritto m. ; porto m. ] ▶◀ commerciale. b. (marin.) [di nave e sim., destinato al trasporto di merci e passeggeri: flotta m. ] ◀▶ militare. 2. (fig., spreg.) …   Enciclopedia Italiana

mercantile — *commercial …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

mercantile — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to trade or commerce. ORIGIN from Italian mercante merchant …   English terms dictionary

mercantile — [mʉr′kən tīl΄, mʉr′kəntil, mʉr′kəntēl΄] adj. [Fr < It < mercante, merchant < L mercans, prp. of mercari: see MERCHANT] 1. of or characteristic of merchants or trade; commercial 2. of mercantilism …   English World dictionary

mercantile — mer·can·tì·le agg., s.m. CO 1. agg., relativo o destinato al commercio: codice mercantile; traffico mercantile, porto mercantile Sinonimi: commerciale. 2. agg., di, da mercante: vita mercantile, spirito mercantile | spreg., mercantesco 3. agg.,… …   Dizionario italiano

mercantile — (mèr kan ti l ) adj. 1°   Qui a rapport au commerce, qui se livre au commerce. •   Il faut convenir que la littérature, car c est ainsi que cela s appelle, a beaucoup gagné du côté des spéculations mercantiles, LAHARPE Corresp. t. IV, p. 210.… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré