LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

mercēs

mercēs f (genitive mercēdis)
Classical[ˈmɛr.keːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmɛr.t͡ʃes]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. pay, wages, reward
    Beati estis cum maledixerint vobis, et persecuti vos fuerint, et dixerint omne malum adversum vos mentientes, propter me: gaudete, et exultate, quoniam merces vestra copiosa est in caelis.Blessed are ye, when men shall curse you, and persecute you, and, lying, speak all ill of you, because of me: rejoice, and exult, for your reward is abundant in heaven.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Matthew.5.11–12
  2. revenue, income
  3. chastisement, punishment, penalty
  4. rent
  5. bribe

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

pecūnia prō labōre data.
mercēs -ēdis f — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Præmium · Pretium · Merces

Præmium is a prize of honor, that confers distinction on the receiver, as a reward, in opp. to pœna; Tac. Ann. i. 26. Cic. Rep. iii. 16. Rabir perd. 11. Liv. xxxvi. 40, like ἆθλον, γέρας; whereas pretium and merces are only a price, for the discharge of a debt, as a payment; pretium, as a price for an article of merchandise, in opp. to gratia, Cic. Verr. ii. 36. Suet. Galb. 15. Appul. Apol. p. 296, like ὦνος; merces denotes wages for personal services of some duration, or hire for something hired, like μισθός. (iv. 139.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemercēsmercēdēs
genitivemercēdismercēdum
dativemercēdīmercēdibus
accusativemercēdemmercēdēs
ablativemercēdemercēdibus
vocativemercēsmercēdēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

mercede conductum esse
to be hired, suborned.
pacta merces alicuius rei
the stipulated reward for anything.
exponere, proponere merces (venales)
to set out goods for sale.

merces, ēdis (
I. irreg. acc. mercem, Claud. 6; Cons. Hon. 578), f. mereo, what is deserved or earned; hence, hire, pay, wages, salary, fee, reward, etc. (syn.: pretium, stipendium; class.).
I. Lit.: manuum mercede inopiam tolerare, the wages of manual labor, Sall. C. 37, 7: ne ars tanta abduceretur ad mercedem atque quaestum, Cic. Div. 1, 41, 92: operae, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 56, § 147: veterum officiorum, Juv. 5, 13: uti ab Arvernis Sequanisque Germani mercede arcesserentur, Caes. B. G. 1, 31: haec merces erat dialecticorum, fee, Cic. Ac. 2, 30, 98: Apollonius cum mercede doceret, id. de Or. 1, 28, 126: mercedibus scenicorum recisis, the players' salaries, Suet. Tib. 34: poscere mercedes, to work for hire, Juv. 8, 246: sarcienda vestimenta mercede certa accipere, Gai. Inst. 3, 205.—Prov.: dignus est operarius mercede suo, Vulg. Luc. 10, 7.—
B. In partic., in a bad sense, an unrighteous reward, a bribe: pretio atque mercede minuere majestatem rei publicae, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 20, § 50: magnā mercede pacisci cum aliquo, ut, Liv. 25, 33: mercedem accipere ab aliquo, Cic. Rosc. Am. 29, 80: lingua adstricta mercede, tied with a bribe, id. Pis. 13, 30: iniquitatis, Vulg. 2 Pet. 2, 13.—
II. Transf.
A. A price for any thing, reward, wages; recompense, punishment; cost, injury, detriment; a stipulation, condition, etc.: mercedem alicujus rei constituere, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 51, § 134: alicui proponere, id. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 4: alicui rei imponere, Juv. 7, 149: exigere ab aliquo, Cic. Lael. 21, 80: merces sanguinis atque laboris, Juv. 14, 164; 1, 42: mercedem solvere, to make payment, id. 7, 157: appellare, to demand payment, id. 7, 157, v. 158.—Prov.: unā mercede duas res adsequi, to kill two birds with one stone, Cic. Rosc. Am. 29, 80: non aliā bibam Mercede, condition, Hor. C. 1, 27, 13: temeritatis merces, punishment, Liv. 39, 55: qui metit mercedem accipit, reward, Vulg. Johan. 4, 36: in molestiā gaudeo, te eam fidem cognoscere hominum non ita magnā mercede, quam ego maximo dolore cognōram, price, cost, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 3: non sine magnā mercede, not except at great cost, id. Tusc. 3, 6, 12: victum illa mercede parare, Juv. 14, 273: magnā quidem res tuas mercede colui, to my great disadvantage, Sen. Tranq. 11, 2.—
B. Rent, revenue, income, interest: mercedes Argileti et Aventini, Cic. Att. 12, 32, 2: dotalium praediorum, id. ib. 15, 20, 4: ex fundo, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 50, § 119: mercedes habitationum annuae, house-rents, Caes. B. C. 3, 21: publicanos tertiā mercedum parte relevavit, farm-rent, Suet. Caes. 20: quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecat, interest or discount on capital, Hor. S. 1, 2, 14.
merces, for merx, v. h. v.

Origins

From merx (“merchandise”).

Southern Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanmercè
  • Catalanmercès
  • Catalanvostè
  • Occitanmercé
  • Occitanmercés
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesemercêfrom Old Galician-Portuguese mercee
  • Portuguesevocêfrom Old Galician-Portuguese mercee
  • Spanishmercedfrom Old Spanish merced
  • Spanishustedfrom Old Spanish merced
  • Aragonesemerce
  • Aragonesevusté
  • Asturianmercé
  • Asturianvusté
  • Asturianvosté
  • Galicianmercéfrom Old Galician-Portuguese mercee
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianmerchede
  • Sardinianbostè
Italo-Romance
  • Italianmercede
  • Italianmercé
  • Sicilianmirzidi
  • Sicilianmirzì
  • Siciliangrammirzì
Northern Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchmercifrom Old French merci
  • Englishmercyfrom Old French merci
  • Franco-Provençalmarci
  • Normanmercifrom Old French merci
African Romance
  • Ghadamesamarkidu
  • Nefusaamarkidu
  • Northern Saharan Berberamerkidu
  • Tashelhitimirkidu
  • Tuaregemărked
  • Zenagaämärkidi
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Romanshmarschei
  • Romanshmarschai

Quick answers

What does mercēs mean in Latin?
mercēs, a noun, means “pay, wages, reward; revenue, income; chastisement, punishment, penalty”.
What is the genitive of mercēs?
The genitive singular is mercēdis. mercēs is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce mercēs?
In classical Latin, [ˈmɛr.keːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmɛr.t͡ʃes].