Skip to content

mercantile

mercantile

adjective mer-kahn-TEE-leh Rare

Origin: From Medieval Latin mercantilis, from mercans (trading).

Also means

commercial

Usage Note

Mercantile is an invariable adjective (same for masculine and feminine): marina mercantile ('merchant navy'), diritto mercantile ('commercial law'), flotta mercantile ('merchant fleet'). It is a formal and slightly archaic term; in everyday commercial contexts, commerciale is more common. The related noun is mercante ('merchant').

Examples

"La marina mercantile trasporta la maggior parte delle merci."

Natural Translation

The merchant navy transports most of the goods.

Literal Translation

The navy mercantile transports the greater part of-the goods.

Explore Italian by topic