LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

mercātor

mercātor m (genitive mercātōris, feminine mercātrīx)
Classical[mɛrˈkaː.tɔr]Ecclesiastical[merˈkaː.tor]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. merchant, trader, wholesale dealer
  2. dealer, speculator

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī emit et vendit; per terrās et maria negōtia agit.
mercātor -ōris m — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemercātormercātōrēs
genitivemercātōrismercātōrum
dativemercātōrīmercātōribus
accusativemercātōremmercātōrēs
ablativemercātōremercātōribus
vocativemercātormercātōrēs

mercātor, ōris, m. id.,
I. a trader, merchant, esp. a wholesale dealer (opp. to caupo, a retailer; class.).
I. Lit.: venalicii mercatoresque, Cic. Or. 70, 232: multi ad eos mercatores ventitant, Caes. B. G. 4, 3. —
II. Transf.
A. A dealer, speculator: non consules, sed mercatores provinciarum, Cic. post Red. in Sen. 4, 10.—Rarely of a petty dealer: vilis sacci mercator olentis, Juv. 14, 269.—
B. A buyer, purchaser: signorum, Cic. Verr. 1, 20, 60: veneni, Juv. 13, 154.

Origins

  1. Proto-Italic*merks
  2. Latinmercātor

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -or Latin mercor Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin mercātor From mercor (“trade, deal in goods”) + -tor.

Italo-Romance
  • Italianmercatore
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesemercadorfrom Old Galician-Portuguese mercador

In English words that came into English from mercātor

  • mercatorismmercātor

Quick answers

What does mercātor mean in Latin?
mercātor, a noun, means “merchant, trader, wholesale dealer; dealer, speculator”.
What is the genitive of mercātor?
The genitive singular is mercātōris. mercātor is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce mercātor?
In classical Latin, [mɛrˈkaː.tɔr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [merˈkaː.tor].
Where does mercātor come from?
Proto-Italic *merks → Latin mercātor.