Mercerize Mer"cer·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle -ized ;
present participle & verbal noun -izing .] [ From (John)
Mercer (1791-1866), an English calico printer who introduced the process +
-ize .]
To treat (cotton fiber or fabrics) with a solution of caustic alkali. Such treatment causes the fiber to shrink in length and become stronger and more receptive of dyes. If the yarn or cloth is kept under tension during the process, it assumes a silky luster. --
Mer`cer*i*za"tion noun
Mercership Mer"cer·ship noun The business of a mercer.
Mercery Mer"cer·y noun [ French
mercerie .]
The trade of mercers; the goods in which a mercer deals.
Merchand Mer"chand intransitive verb [ French
marchander . See
Merchant .]
To traffic. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Merchandisable Mer"chan·di`sa·ble adjective Such as can be used or transferred as merchandise.
Merchandise Mer"chan·dise noun [ French
marchandise , Old French
marcheandise .]
1. The objects of commerce; whatever is usually bought or sold in trade, or market, or by merchants; wares; goods; commodities. Spenser. 2. The act or business of trading; trade; traffic.
Merchandise Mer"chan·dise intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Merchandised ;
present participle & verbal noun Merchandising .]
To trade; to carry on commerce. Bacon.
Merchandise Mer"chan·dise transitive verb To make merchandise of; to buy and sell. "Love is
merchandised ."
Shak.
Merchandiser Mer"chan·di`ser noun A trader. Bunyan.
Merchandry Mer"chand·ry noun [ See
Merchant .]
Trade; commerce. [ Obsolete]
Bp. Sanderson.
Merchant Mer"chant noun [ Middle English
marchant , Old French
marcheant , French
marchand , from Late Latin
mercatans ,
-antis , present participle of
mercatare to negotiate, Latin
mercari to traffic, from
merx ,
mercis , wares. See
Market ,
Merit , and confer
Commerce .]
1. One who traffics on a large scale, especially with foreign countries; a trafficker; a trader. Others, like merchants , venture trade abroad.
Shak. 2. A trading vessel; a merchantman. [ Obsolete]
Shak. 3. One who keeps a store or shop for the sale of goods; a shopkeeper. [ U. S. & Scot.]
Merchant Mer"chant adjective Of, pertaining to, or employed in, trade or merchandise; as, the merchant service. Merchant bar ,
Merchant iron or
steel ,
certain common sizes of wrought iron and steel bars. --
Merchant service ,
the mercantile marine of a country. Am. Cyc. --
Merchant ship ,
a ship employed in commerce. --
Merchant tailor ,
a tailor who keeps and sells materials for the garments which he makes.
Merchant Mer"chant intransitive verb To be a merchant; to trade. [ Obsolete]
Merchantable Mer"chant·a·ble adjective Fit for market; such as is usually sold in market, or such as will bring the ordinary price; as, merchantable wheat; sometimes, a technical designation for a particular kind or class.
Merchantly Mer"chant·ly adjective Merchantlike; suitable to the character or business of a merchant. [ Obsolete]
Gauden.
Merchantman Mer"chant·man noun ;
plural Merchantmen 1. A merchant. [ Obsolete]
Matt. xiii. 45. 2. A trading vessel; a ship employed in the transportation of goods, as, distinguished from a man-of- war.
Merchantry Mer"chant·ry noun 1. The body of merchants taken collectively; as, the merchantry of a country. 2. The business of a merchant; merchandise. Walpole.
Merciable Mer"ci·a·ble adjective [ Old French ]
Merciful. [ Obsolete]
Merciful Mer"ci·ful adjective [
Mercy +
- ful .]
1. Full of mercy; having or exercising mercy; disposed to pity and spare offenders; unwilling to punish. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious.
Ex. xxxiv. 6. Be merciful , great duke, to men of mold.
Shak. 2. Unwilling to give pain; compassionate. A merciful man will be merciful to his beast.
Old Proverb. Syn. -- Compassionate; tender; humane; gracious; kind; mild; clement; benignant. --
Mer"ci*ful*ly ,
adverb --
Mer"ci*ful*ness ,
noun
Mercify Mer"ci·fy transitive verb To pity. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Merciless Mer"ci·less adjective Destitute of mercy; cruel; unsparing; -- said of animate beings, and also, figuratively, of things; as, a merciless tyrant; merciless waves. The foe is merciless , and will not pity.
Shak. Syn. -- Cruel; unmerciful; remorseless; ruthless; pitiless; barbarous; savage. --
Mer"ci*less*ly ,
adverb --
Mer"ci*less*ness ,
noun
Mercurammonium Mer`cur·am·mo"ni·um noun [
Mercur ic +
ammonium .]
(Chemistry) A radical regarded as derived from ammonium by the substitution of mercury for a portion of the hydrogen.
Mercurial Mer·cu"ri·al adjective [ Latin
mercurialis , from
Mercurius Mercury: confer French
mercuriel .]
1. Having the qualities fabled to belong to the god Mercury; swift; active; sprightly; fickle; volatile; changeable; as, a mercurial youth; a mercurial temperament. A mercurial man
Who fluttered over all things like a fan.
Byron. 2. Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts. [ Obsolete]
Chillingworth. 3. Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty. The mercurial wand of commerce.
J. Q. Adams. 4. Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury , 2. 5. (Medicine) Caused by the use of mercury; as, mercurial sore mouth.
Mercurial Mer·cu"ri·al noun 1. A person having mercurial qualities. Bacon. 2. (Medicine) A preparation containing mercury.
Mercurialism Mer·cu"ri·al·ism noun [
Mercurial +
-ism .]
(Medicine) The morbid condition produced by the excessive use of mercury, or by exposure to its fumes, as in mining or smelting. Me"ro noun [ Spanish ; confer Portuguese mero .] Any of several large groupers of warm seas, esp. the guasa ( Epinephelus guaza ), the red grouper ( E. morio ), the black grouper ( E. nigritas ), distinguished as Me"ro de lo al"to and a species called also rock hind , distinguished as Me"ro ca*brol"la
Mercurialist Mer·cu"ri·al·ist noun 1. One under the influence of Mercury; one resembling Mercury in character. 2. (Medicine) A physician who uses much mercury, in any of its forms, in his practice.
Mercurialize Mer·cu"ri·al·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Mercurialized ;
present participle & verbal noun Mercurializing .]
1. (Medicine) To affect with mercury. 2. (Photography) To treat with mercury; to expose to the vapor of mercury.
Mercurialize Mer·cu"ri·al·ize intransitive verb To be sprightly, fantastic, or capricious. [ Obsolete]
Mercurially Mer·cu"ri·al·ly adverb In a mercurial manner.
Mercuric Mer·cu"ric adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury into which this element enters in its lowest proportion. Mercuric chloride ,
corrosive sublimate. See Corrosive .
Mercurification Mer·cu`ri·fi·ca"tion noun [ Confer French
mercurification . See
Mercurify .]
1. (Metal.) The process or operation of obtaining the mercury, in its fluid form, from mercuric minerals. 2. (Chemistry) The act or process of compounding, or the state of being compounded, with mercury. [ R.]
Mercurify Mer·cu"ri·fy transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Mercurified ;
present participle & verbal noun Mercurifying .] [
Mercury +
-fy .]
1. To obtain mercury from, as mercuric minerals, which may be done by any application of intense heat that expels the mercury in fumes, which are afterward condensed. [ R.]
2. To combine or mingle mercury with; to impregnate with mercury; to mercurialize. [ R.]
Mercurism Mer"cu·rism noun A communication of news; an announcement. [ Obsolete]
Sir T. Browne.
Mercurous Mer·cu"rous adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury in which it is present in its highest proportion. Mercurous chloride .
(Chemistry) See Calomel .
Mercury Mer"cu·ry noun [ Latin
Mercurius ; akin to
merx wares.]
1. (Rom. Myth.) A Latin god of commerce and gain; -- treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence. 2. (Chemistry) A metallic element mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy, opaque, glistening liquid (commonly called quicksilver ), and is used in barometers, thermometers, etc. Specific gravity 13.6. Symbol Hg ( Hydrargyrum ). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of only one atom. It was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and designated by his symbol, &mercury;. » Mercury forms alloys, called
amalgams , with many metals, and is thus used in applying tin foil to the backs of mirrors, and in extracting gold and silver from their ores. It is poisonous, and is used in medicine in the free state as in blue pill, and in its compounds as calomel, corrosive sublimate, etc. It is the only metal which is liquid at ordinary temperatures, and it solidifies at about -39° Centigrade to a soft, malleable, ductile metal.
3. (Astron.) One of the planets of the solar system, being the one nearest the sun, from which its mean distance is about 36,000,000 miles. Its period is 88 days, and its diameter 3,000 miles. 4. A carrier of tidings; a newsboy; a messenger; hence, also, a newspaper. Sir J. Stephen. "The monthly
Mercuries ."
Macaulay. 5. Sprightly or mercurial quality; spirit; mutability; fickleness. [ Obsolete]
He was so full of mercury that he could not fix long in any friendship, or to any design.
Bp. Burnet. 6. (Botany) A plant ( Mercurialis annua ), of the Spurge family, the leaves of which are sometimes used for spinach, in Europe. » The name is also applied, in the United States, to certain climbing plants, some of which are poisonous to the skin, esp. to the
Rhus Toxicodendron , or poison ivy.
Dog's mercury (Botany) ,
Mercurialis perennis , a perennial plant differing from M. annua by having the leaves sessile. --
English mercury (Botany) ,
a kind of goosefoot formerly used as a pot herb; - - called Good King Henry . --
Horn mercury (Min.) ,
a mineral chloride of mercury, having a semitranslucent, hornlike appearance.
Mercury Mer"cu·ry transitive verb To wash with a preparation of mercury. [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson.
Mercy Mer"cy noun ;
plural Mercies . [ Middle English
merci , French
merci , Latin
merces ,
mercedis , hire, pay, reward, Late Latin , equiv. to
misericordia pity, mercy. Latin
merces is probably akin to
merere to deserve, acquire. See
Merit , and confer
Amerce .]
1. Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency. Examples of justice must be made for terror to some; examples of mercy for comfort to others.
Bacon. 2. Compassionate treatment of the unfortunate and helpless; sometimes, favor, beneficence. Luke x. 37. 3. Disposition to exercise compassion or favor; pity; compassion; willingness to spare or to help. In whom mercy lacketh and is not founden.
Sir T. Elyot. 4. A blessing regarded as a manifestation of compassion or favor. The Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
2 Cor. i. 3. Mercy seat (Bib.) ,
the golden cover or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. See Ark , 2. --
Sisters of Mercy (R. C. Ch.) ,
a religious order founded in Dublin in the year 1827. Communities of the same name have since been established in various American cities. The duties of those belonging to the order are, to attend lying-in hospitals, to superintend the education of girls, and protect decent women out of employment, to visit prisoners and the sick, and to attend persons condemned to death. --
To be at the mercy of ,
to be wholly in the power of. Syn. -- See
Grace .
Merd Merd noun [ French
merde , Latin
merda .]
Ordure; dung. [ Obsolete]
Burton.
Mere Mere (mēr)
noun [ Written also
mar .] [ Middle English
mere , Anglo-Saxon
mere mere, sea; akin to Dutch
meer lake, Old Saxon
meri sea, Old High German
meri ,
mari , German
meer , Icelandic
marr , Goth.
marei , Russian
more , W.
mor , Ir. & Gael.
muir , Latin
mare , and perhaps to Latin
mori to die, and meaning originally, that which is dead, a waste. Confer
Mortal ,
Marine ,
Marsh ,
Mermaid ,
Moor .]
A pool or lake. Drayton. Tennyson.
Mere Mere noun [ Written also
meer and
mear .] [ Anglo-Saxon
gemǣre . √269.]
A boundary. Bacon.
Mere Mere transitive verb To divide, limit, or bound. [ Obsolete]
Which meared her rule with Africa.
Spenser.
Mere Mere noun A mare. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Mere Mere adjective [
Superl. Merest . The comparative is rarely or never used.] [ Latin
merus .]
1. Unmixed; pure; entire; absolute; unqualified. Then entered they the mere , main sea.
Chapman. The sorrows of this world would be mere and unmixed.
Jer. Taylor. 2. Only this, and nothing else; such, and no more; simple; bare; as, a mere boy; a mere form. From mere success nothing can be concluded in favor of any nation.
Atterbury.
Merely Mere"ly adverb 1. Purely; unmixedly; absolutely. Ulysses was to force forth his access,
Though merely naked.
Chapman. 2. Not otherwise than; simply; barely; only. Prize not your life for other ends
Than merely to oblige your friends.
Swift. Syn. -- Solely; simply; purely; barely; scarcely.
Merenchyma Me·ren"chy·ma noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... a part +
-enchyma , as in
parenchyma .]
(Botany) Tissue composed of spheroidal cells.
Meresman Meres"man noun An officer who ascertains meres or boundaries. [ Eng.]
Merestead Mere"stead noun [
Mere boundary +
stead place.]
The land within the boundaries of a farm; a farmstead or farm. [ Archaic.]
Longfellow.
Merestone Mere"stone` noun A stone designating a limit or boundary; a landmark. Bacon.
Meretricious Mer`e·tri"cious adjective [ Latin
meretricius , from
meretrix ,
-icis , a prostitute, lit., one who earns money,
i. e. , by prostitution, from
merere to earn, gain. See
Merit .]
1. Of or pertaining to prostitutes; having to do with harlots; lustful; as, meretricious traffic. 2. Resembling the arts of a harlot; alluring by false show; gaudily and deceitfully ornamental; tawdry; as, meretricious dress or ornaments. --
Mer`e*tri"cious*ly ,
adverb --
Mer`e*tri"cious*ness ,
noun
Merganser Mer·gan"ser noun [ Spanish
mergánsar , from
mergo a diver (L.
mergus , from
mergere to dip, dive) +
ánsar goose, Latin
anser .]
(Zoology) Any bird of the genus Merganser , and allied genera. They are allied to the ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill. » The red-breasted merganser (
Merganser serrator ) inhabits both hemispheres. It is called also
sawbill ,
harle , and
sheldrake . The American merganser (
M. Americanus .) and the hooded merganser (
Lophodytes cucullatus ) are well-known species. --
White merganser ,
the smew or white nun.
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