a businessperson engaged in retail trade
"The local merchant welcomed every customer who walked through his shop door to buy fresh produce."
A person who traffics in commodities for profit.
"The local merchant loaded his cart with fresh produce to sell at the morning market."
In plain English: A merchant is someone who buys and sells goods for profit.
"The merchant sold fresh fruit at the morning market."
Usage: Use "merchant" to refer to a person or business that buys and sells goods, especially those involved in international trade or specific industries like insurance. Avoid using it interchangeably with generic terms like "seller" when emphasizing the commercial scale or historical context of the profession.
As a resident of a region, to buy goods from a non-resident and sell them to another non-resident.
"The local merchant bought spices from an arriving ship captain and resold the same cargo to customers in neighboring towns."
In plain English: To act as a merchant is to buy and sell goods for profit.
"The merchant sold his goods to customers before the market closed."
Usage: The verb form of merchant is now archaic and rarely used in modern English; you should avoid using it when describing someone who buys and sells goods across regions. Instead, simply use the noun "merchant" or verbs like trade, buy, or sell to convey the same idea clearly.
A surname.
"The local merchant family has owned the bakery on Main Street for four generations."
The word merchant comes from a French term that originally meant to trade or deal in goods. It entered English through Old and Middle French before evolving into its current meaning of someone who buys and sells commodities for profit.