mercantile

English borrowed mercantile from French mercantile, which came from Italian mercantile, built from mercante, meaning 'merchant.' That Italian word traces back to Latin mercāns, 'trading,' itself from the verb mercor, 'to trade.'

The word has stayed close to its roots throughout its path from Latin to Italian to French to English — always describing trade, traders, or the business of buying and selling.

It shares its root with 'merchant,' since both descend from the same Latin verb mercor, 'to trade.'