English → Latin
“mercenary” in Latin
The English word mercenary itself goes back to Latin mercēs, through mercēnārius.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
mercenary adj.
mercedis avidus; praeter modum appetens: illiberalis et sordidus (with reference to things or persons): a mercenary spirit, nimium mercedis studium; mercedis aviditas.
mercenary s.
mercenarius; conducticius: a mercenary (i. e., paid soldier), miles mercenarius; mercede conductus: the mercenaries, catervae conducticiae (Nep., Chabr., 1, 2); exercitus conducticius (not conductus): to serve as a mercenary, mercede militari (Curt., 6, 5, 7): to have or employ mercenaries, milite mercenario uti (Liv., 5, 4): mercenaries, i. e., hired workmen, operae mercenariae, or mercede conductae (Cic.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for mercenary?
- The usual Latin words for “mercenary” are mercēnārius, conductīcius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.