merchantry

English

Etymology

From merchant +‎ -ry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃəntɹi/

Noun

merchantry (usually uncountable, plural merchantries)

1. (dated) The body of merchants taken collectively.

   the merchantry of a country

2. (dated) The business of a merchant; merchandise.
   • 1789, Horace Walpole, letter to Miss Hannah More:

     I wish human wit, which is really very considerable in mechanics and merchantry, could devise some method of cultivating canes and making sugar without the manual labour of the human species.

References

“merchantry”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.