 | WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
| WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
Mercenary
Pronunciation : Mer"ce*na*ry
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See Mercy.]
Definition : 1. Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers.
2. Hence: Moved by considerations of pay or profit; greedy of gain; sordid; selfish. Shak. For God forbid I should my papers blot With mercenary lines, with servile pen. Daniel.
Syn. -- See Venal.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
Pronunciation : Mer"ce*na*ry
Part of Speech : n.;
Definition : Defn: One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman.
pl. Mercenaries (.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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