† mercaturen.
Obsolete.
Trading, commerce.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > [noun]
mongingOE
cheapinga1000
cheapOE
chaffer?c1225
merchandisea1300
market-making1340
merchandyc1350
corseriec1380
chafferinga1382
need-doinga1382
changea1387
chapmanhoodc1386
cossery?a1400
bargaining1401
merchandisinga1425
merchandrya1450
intercourse1473
business1478
chapmanry1483
the feat of merchandisec1503
market1525
trade1549
marting1553
contractation1555
trading1556
merchantryc1560
marketing1561
mart1562
trafficking1570
contraction1582
tract1582
nundination1586
commerce1587
chafferya1599
negotiation1601
intertraffica1603
traffic1603
commercery1604
intertrading1606
correspondence1607
mercature1611
correspondency1613
coss?1635
negotiating1640
dealing1691
chapmanship1727
merchanting1883
intertrade1915
1611 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scotl. 171/1 Cum privilegio aque de Clyde, mercature lie trafficque et trade ejusdem.
a1620 J. Dyke Divers Select Serm. (1640) 367 That's commendable in wordly mercature: To be sure so men deale here.
1639 T. Heywood London's Peacable Estate sig. A2 Your breeding..next to a Scholler hath beene chiefly in Mercature.
1647 W. Lilly Christian Astrol. clxxxv. 803 Our Native may expect good encrease..in that way of Mercature or course of life he shall then lead.
a1700 in J. Balfour Anc. Heraldic & Antiquarian Tracts (1837) 24 The exercisse of mercatour with a small stocke is euer reputted wyle and sordid.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Mercature, the practice of buying and selling.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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