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mercenary

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionarymer·ce·nary I \ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē, -ne-rē\ noun (plural -nar·ies) ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Latin mercenarius, irregular from merced-, merces wages — more at mercy DATE 14th century: one that serves merely for wages; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service II adjective DATE 15321. serving merely for pay or sordid advantage : venal; also : greedy2. hired for service in the army of a foreign country• mer·ce·nar·i·ly \ˌmər-sə-ˈner-ə-lē, -ˈne-rə-\ adverb• mer·ce·nar·i·ness \ˈmər-sə-ˌner-ē-nəs, -ˌne-rē-\ nounEnglish Etymologymercenary mercenary (n.) late 14c., "one who works only for hire," from L. mercenarius"one who does anything for pay," lit. "hired, paid," from merces(gen. mercedis) "pay, reward, wages," from merx (see market). The adj. is recorded from 1530s.Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7mercenarymer·cen·ary / 5mE:sEnEri; NAmE 5mE:rsEneri / noun(pl. -ies) a soldier who will fight for any country or group that offers payment 雇佣兵: foreign mercenaries 外国雇佣兵 mercenary soldiers 雇佣兵 adjective (disapproving) only interested in making or getting money 只为金钱的: a mercenary society / attitude 唯利是图的社会/态度 She's interested in him for purely mercenary reasons. 她对他感兴趣完全是为了贪图金钱。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of EnglishOxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishmercenary noun ADJ. foreign QUANT. army, band a small army of mercenaries VERB + MERCENARY employ, hire, recruit | pay MERCENARY + NOUN armyOLTmercenary noun⇨ soldiermercenary adj.⇨ greedyWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridgedmer·ce·naryI. \ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌerē, -ri\ noun(-es)Etymology: Middle English mercenarie, from Latin mercenarius, mercennarius, adjective & noun, from merced-, merces wages, reward + -arius -ary — more at mercy1. : one that serves merely for wages : hireling < half a dozen such mercenaries judiciously placed … may turn a cold audience into an enthusiastic one — A.T.Weaver >2. : a person paid for his work; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service < the kingdom was now supported … largely by foreign mercenaries and a made-to-order navy — A.L.Kroeber >II. adjectiveEtymology: Latin mercenarius, mercennarius1. a. : serving merely for pay or gain : seeking sordid advantage :venal < abandoned their high standards and disinterested motives in favor of a mercenary concern over fees — W.T. & Barbara Fitts > < so thoroughly mercenary, so frankly greedy, that there's nothing disagreeable about it — Dashiell Hammett > b. : showing conspicuous lust for money : based on or marked by greed < if a writer's attitude toward his characters and his scene is … as mercenary as an auctioneer's, vulgar and meretricious will his product for ever remain — Willa Cather >2. a. : employed or engaged primarily on a wage basis — now used only of a soldier serving in the army of a country other than his own b. obsolete : paid, salaried : commercial — used of an office or enterpris

Mercenary From Soldier Noun Foreign Adjective Army Mercenaries