merci-

To punish with an arbitrary fine: Sam was amerced by a judge for speeding and causing an accident with his car.

1. The transaction of buying and selling commodities, especially in large amounts between different places or businesses: The little town wanted to increase tourism and commerce, so meetings were held to gather ideas of how to make their town more attractive and picturesque for visitors.
2. Etymology: from Latin commercium; from com-, "with" + mercem, "wares".

1. Descriptive of something which is intended to make money: A lot of commercial activity was going on in the center of the city, with all the stores and shops open until late at night, and sometimes never closing!
2. Referring to television and radio broadcasts which are paid for by advertisements and not by the government: The commercial TV programs were interspersed with ads offering clothing, detergents, cars, food, etc.
3. Concerning a conveyance which transports passengers who have paid, or goods which have been paid for: Trains, busses, and airplanes are all examples of commercial vehicles for the use of everybody.
4. Regarding something to be offered in shops without placing value on its originality or quality: The new bookstore was interested in the commercial aspect of selling books and so they had many popular and easy-to-read books on sale.

A philosophy dealing with the supply of services and goods with the emphasis on making profits: Many people think that commercialism is taking over the real meaning of Christmas, putting more importance and significance on the presents to be bought in stores and to be put under the Christmas trees in their living rooms.

The act of launching a new product and its development and making it accessible and ready for the market: The process of commercialization includes advertising, sales promotion, marketing aspects, distribution, and supplying commodities; mercantilism.

1. To make or exploit especially for profit: When writing his book, Jack was mainly interested in writing it for the mass of people intending to commercialize it and make money fast.
2. To operate or conduct an enterprise on the basis of financial gain: Mr. Gain decided to commercialize his idea of building hotels, turning it into a chain business, and distributing his hotels all over the country to make as much monetary profit as possible.

Regarding how business is managed in a profit-making manner: The new coffee machine is now commercially available at the hardware store downtown.

1. A huge supermarket usually built on the outskirts of a city: Mr. and Mrs. Smart decided to go to the big hypermarket outside their town to buy all their goods because it meant getting everything in one place and parking their car only once.
2. A very large self-service store that sells products usually sold in department stores, as well as those sold in supermarkets: After arriving at the giant hypermarket, which even had a hardware and garden section, Jack and Jill used a big shopping cart for all the different items they needed, including clothes, food, an electric sewing machine and some flower pots.
3. Etymology: from a translation of the French hypermarché.

1. A domaine or sector where business transactions are conducted: The labor market and wages are quite low, so there won't be a rise in prices for new houses this month at least.
2. An accustomed turnout of people for the purpose of buying and selling livestock, provisions, etc.: There were lots of farmers going to the market that morning offering their farm animals, such as sheep and cattle, at the best possible price.
3. A need for certain products, facilities, or services: There was certainly a good market for the newest trends in clothes because there were lots of young adults who were definitely interested in the latest fashions.

1. Regarding saleable goods or employability of people: James always took courses in the use of the computer and internet in order to keep his skills in this area up-to-date and marketable for a future position in a company.
2. Descriptive of something offered for sale: When Susan went to the shops, she noticed that they had a lot of interesting and attractive marketable produce, like fruit, meat, cheeses, flowers, and honey!

1. A store where the sale of goods takes place: A greengrocery is a kind of mart, where fresh fruit and vegetables are available for customers.
2. A trade center or marketplace: Sometimes a mart can be an open area, an open-air market, or a bazar, where foods and merchandise are offered for sale.

Concerning or associated with trade; profit-making; commercial: The firm entered the mercantile business, offering everything from the finest homeware to exclusive apparel.

1. Relating to a person who is motivated merely for the sake of monetary or other reward that is actuated by considerations of self-interest: Jim's aunt was wondering whether he loved his wealthy mother or only pretended to for mercenary reasons.
2. A reference to someone who receives payment for his services, especially a professional soldier serving for a foreign power: An example of a mercenary is a person who is employed to fight in an armed conflict, who is not a member of the state or military group he is fighting for, and whose primary motivation is private financial gain.
3. Etymology: from Latin merces, "reward, wages". © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

A businessperson involved in textiles, mainly in velvets and silks, but also in other elegant and exclusive fabrics: The ladies of the court were waiting for the mercer to arrive and show them the latest and most costly chintz and very soft cashmere materials.

Concerning an article which can be used or transferred as a consumer durable: Such items, as hardware and dry goods, are considered to be merchandisable because they are available to be purchased in stores, shops, and on the internet.