Etymology of the French word mercenaire
the Old French word
mercenairederived from the Latin word
mercenarius (hired for wages; paid, hired; laborer, working man)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
merces (pay, recompense, hire)
derived from the Latin word
merx (commodity; merchandise, goods)
derived from the Latin word
mercennarius (hired worker; mercenary; hired, mercenary)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
merces (pay, recompense, hire)
derived from the Latin word
merx (commodity; merchandise, goods)
Date
The earliest known usage of mercenaire in French dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in other languages
English
mercenary, Romanian
mercenarCognates
Italian
mercenarioUsage
Word found in Old French
