Dictionary

mercenary en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio
• (New-Jersey) audio
• /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
• mûrʹsə-nĕr'ē (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”).

Meanings

1. Motivated by personal gain.
   • Success is never so interesting as struggle—not even to the successful, not even to the most mercenary forms of ambition. 1932 July 16 (date written), Willa Cather, “Preface”, in The Song of the Lark, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], published February 1941, →OCLC, page v:

Forms

Deriveds

mercenarily · unmercenary · nonmercenary · mercenariness · mercenaryism · antimercenary

Relateds

soldier

Synonyms

venal · greedy

Translations (23)

fi rahanahne (motivated by personal gain) · mk користољу́бив (motivated by personal gain) · de gewinnsüchtig (motivated by personal gain) · la mercenarius (motivated by personal gain) · el μισθοφορικός (motivated by personal gain) · de käuflich (motivated by personal gain) · el ιδιοτελής (motivated by personal gain) · ru коры́стный (motivated by personal gain) · fr mercenaire (motivated by personal gain) · ar مُؤْجِر (motivated by personal gain) · grc μισθοφόρος (motivated by personal gain) · pt mercenário (motivated by personal gain) · nl geldbelust (motivated by personal gain) · pl interesowny (motivated by personal gain) · bg користен (motivated by personal gain) · cmn 唯利是圖 /唯利是图 (motivated by personal gain) · pl wyrachowany (motivated by personal gain) · es mercenario (motivated by personal gain) · ja 実利的 (motivated by personal gain) · it mercenario (motivated by personal gain) · nl hebzuchtig (motivated by personal gain) · de geldgierig (motivated by personal gain) · ru корыстолюби́вый (motivated by personal gain)

mercenary en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio
• (New-Jersey) audio
• /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
• mûrʹsə-nĕr'ē (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈmɝ.sə.ˌnɛɹ.i/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”).

Meanings

1. One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
   • For that is the characteristic of a mercenary, who acts through interest, rather than of an affectionate child who acts through love. There is a great difference, say they, between the service of a slave, the service of a mercenary or hireling, and the service of a child. 1831, James Lanigan (bp. of Ossory.), Catechetical Conference on the Holy Eucharist, page 134:
   • Such a man emphatically deserves the name of fortune-hunter—a wretch as detestable in society, as destructive of domestic happiness! And if, when marriages are consummated on such plans, there be afterwards between the parties the least appearance of regard, and the common forms of decorum, it is more than can reasonably be expected, and infinitely more than such mercenaries deserve. 1811, William Giles, The guide to domestic happiness, 9th edition:
   • J. Argyrofylus, a mercenary Greek, who came to teach school in Italy, after the sacking of Constantinople by the Turks, used to maintain that Cicero understood neither Philosophy nor Greek 1753, Alexander Pope, edited by William Warburton, The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: Satires, &c, page 22:
   • HOSPITAL NUNS./ Louis XVI. wishing to improve the state of the hospitals in France, sent a member of the Academy of Sciences to England, to enquire into the manner in which such establishments were conducted there. The commissioner praised them; but remarked, that two things were wanting; the zeal of the French parochial clergy, and the charity of the hospital nuns. "We have found, by sorrowful experience," said M. Portalis, that mercenaries, without any motive of feeling to attach them constantly to their duty, can never supply the place of persons animated by a spirit of religion, 1826, Sholto and Reuben Percy, Brothers of the Benedictine Monastery, Mont Benger, Title The Percy Anecdotes: Original and Select, volume 1:
   • In the higher ranks of life especially, it is, unhappily, a very common practice to commit to hired mercenaries, that important duty which nature at once commands and enables the mother to perform; that of suckling her infant. 1830, The Female's Encyclopaedia of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge, page 404:
2. A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
   • He exhorts the emperor to revive the courage of his subjects by the example of manly virtue; to banish luxury from the court and from the camp; to substitute in the place of the Barbarian mercenaries, an army of men interested in the defence of their laws and of their property 1781, Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume 3:
   • If a mercenary died, that was one fewer man to pay. Mercenaries were an efficient way to run a military campaign especially in view of the employer's ability to hire and fire when and if the situation demanded 2004, Matthew Trundle, Greek Mercenaries: From the Late Archaic Period to Alexander:
   • The combat fatigues worn by the vehicle personnel did not appear to be standard military issue, more similar to what you would expect mercenaries to wear. Mercenaries, loyal to nothing except themselves and their off-shore bank accounts. 2005, Karl Arthur, The Calling, page 62:
3. (figuratively) One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.

Forms

Hypernyms

person · fighter · soldier · employee · payee

Hyponyms

bouncer · condottiere · turcopole · bodyguard · sellsword · lansquenet · Mamertine · gallowglass · freelance · Landsknecht · routier · Wagnerite · assassin

Relateds

PMC (person employed to fight)

Synonyms

mercenary · private military contractor · condottiere · filibuster · hireling · free companion · hired gun · sellsword · adventurer · freelance · hit man · merc · bravo · freebooter · soldier of fortune

Translations (116)

ur اَجِیر سِپاہی (person employed to fight) · ru найми́т (person employed to fight) · km ទាហានស៊ីឈ្នួល (person employed to fight) · lo ທະຫານຮັບຈ້າງ (person employed to fight) · da lejesoldat (person employed to fight) · ps اجيره عسکر (person employed to fight) · is málaliði (person employed to fight) · de Söldnerin (person employed to fight) · ru наёмник (person employed to fight) · sh nájamnīk (person employed to fight) · nrf mèrcénaithe (person employed to fight) · tg муздур (person employed to fight) · ms askar upahan (person employed to fight) · bg нае́мничка (person employed to fight) · fa-ira مُزْدور (person employed to fight) · fi palkkasotilas (person employed to fight) · mk платеник (person employed to fight) · lv algotnis (person employed to fight) · my ကြေးစား (person employed to fight) · sh пла̑ћеница (person employed to fight) · el μισθοφόρος (person employed to fight) · be наймі́т (person employed to fight) · hi भाड़े का सिपाही (person employed to fight) · id tentara bayaran (person employed to fight) · th ผู้รับจ้างรบ (person employed to fight) · sh пла̑ћенӣк (person employed to fight) · az muzdlu döyüşçü (person employed to fight) · pl najemnik (person employed to fight) · ru найми́тка (person employed to fight) · hi किराये का सैनिक (person employed to fight) · bg нае́мница (person employed to fight) · grc ἐπίκουρος (person employed to fight) · pl najemnica (person employed to fight) · et palgasõdur (person employed to fight) · ko 용병 (person employed to fight) · nn leigesoldat (person employed to fight) · it mercenario (person employed to fight) · kk жалданба (person employed to fight) · be наёмнік (person employed to fight) · cs žoldák (person employed to fight) · nb leiesoldat (person employed to fight) · th ทหารรับจ้าง (person employed to fight) · sk žoldnier (person employed to fight) · ja 傭兵 (person employed to fight) · sl najemnik (person employed to fight) · vi tay sai (person employed to fight) · kk жалданушы (person employed to fight) · eo dungosoldato (person employed to fight) · bg нае́мник (person employed to fight) · sh plȃćenīk (person employed to fight) · sk žoldnierka (person employed to fight) · uk на́йманець (person employed to fight) · uk найми́тка (person employed to fight) · ps اجير (person employed to fight) · hu zsoldos (person employed to fight) · nl huurling (person employed to fight) · tr paralı asker (person employed to fight) · ar مُؤْجِر (person employed to fight) · sh на́јамнӣк (person employed to fight) · ur اَجِیر (person employed to fight) · ur کِراۓ کا سِپاہی (person employed to fight) · vi lính đánh thuê (person employed to fight) · fi palkkasoturi (person employed to fight) · ar مُرْتَزِق (person employed to fight) · oc mercenari (person employed to fight) · hy վարձկան (person employed to fight) · ky жалданма (person employed to fight) · bn ভাড়াটে সৈনিক (person employed to fight) · kk жалшы (person employed to fight) · tg мардикор (person employed to fight) · ps کرايي عسکر (person employed to fight) · sh на́јамница (person employed to fight) · ro mercenar (person employed to fight) · ca mercenari (person employed to fight) · hu zsoldoskatona (person employed to fight) · uz yollanma askar (person employed to fight) · kk жалдамашы (person employed to fight) · cmn 僱傭兵 /雇佣兵 (person employed to fight) · uk на́йманка (person employed to fight) · es mercenario (person employed to fight) · fr mercenaire (person employed to fight) · nl huursoldaat (person employed to fight) · be наёмніца (person employed to fight) · gl mercenario (person employed to fight) · sl plačanec (person employed to fight) · de Legionär (person employed to fight) · he שְׂכִיר חֶרֶב (person employed to fight) · mk платеничка (person employed to fight) · prs اَجِیر (person employed to fight) · ur مُزْدُور (person employed to fight) · de Söldner (person employed to fight) · ka დაქირავებული ჯარისკაცი (person employed to fight) · la mercēnārius (person employed to fight) · sh plȃćenica (person employed to fight) · cs žoldnéř (person employed to fight) · ru наёмница (person employed to fight) · fa-ira اَجیر (person employed to fight) · be наймі́тка (person employed to fight) · sv legosoldat (person employed to fight) · hi भृत सैनिक (person employed to fight) · grc μισθοφόρος (person employed to fight) · uk найми́т (person employed to fight) · pt mercenário (person employed to fight) · prs مُزْدُور (person employed to fight) · ga amhas (person employed to fight) · fo leiguhermaður (person employed to fight) · sq marrdhanës (person employed to fight) · sh nájamnica (person employed to fight) · mn хөлсний цэрэг (person employed to fight) · cmn 傭兵 /佣兵 (person employed to fight) · ms tentera upahan (person employed to fight) · ps مزدور (person employed to fight) · sw mamluki (person employed to fight) · de Mietsoldat (person employed to fight) · lt samdinys (person employed to fight) · nl soldenier (person employed to fight)

wikidata: Q178197