Etymograph

English

Mercator

Mercator comes from Latin mercātor ‘merchant’, from mercor ‘trade, deal in goods’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *merks.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*merksreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmerx‘merchandise, commodity’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercor‘trade, deal in goods’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercātor‘merchant’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1809Mercator

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*merksreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmerx‘merchandise, commodity’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercor‘trade, deal in goods’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercātor‘merchant’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1809Mercator

Earliest quotation: 1809, Lord Byron: “we have determined to go by way of Lisbon…”

Linked words

through Latin merx ‘merchandise, commodity’

commercial, commerce, mercy, mercer, mercenary, merci, 19 more

through Latin mercor ‘trade, deal in goods’

market, merchant, merchandise, 18 more

Today it means

noun Synonym of Mercator projection.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *merks / Mercator

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