Etymograph

English

market

Market comes from Middle English market ‘a market’, from Latin mercor ‘to trade, deal in, buy’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *merks.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*merksreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmerx‘wares’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercor‘to trade’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercātus‘trade’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150market
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a market’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*merksreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmerx‘wares’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercor‘to trade’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmercātus‘trade’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150market
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a market’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “What is a man If his chief good and…”

Linked words

through Latin merx ‘wares, merchandise’

commercial, commerce, mercy, mercer, mercenary, merci, 17 more

through Latin mercor ‘to trade, deal in, buy’

merchant, mercantile, mercantilism, 16 more

through Latin mercātus ‘trade, market’

merchandise, merch, mart, 6 more

Today it means

noun A gathering of people for the purchase and sale of merchandise, often periodic at a set time.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *merks / market

Shirt and support for this word