▪ Cf. Engl
commerce (n.),
1530 s, from mFr
commerce (
C14), from Lat
commercium ‘trade, trafficking’, from
com- ‘together’ +
merx (Gen
mercis) ‘merchandise’.
▪ Cf. also Engl
market (n.),
eC12, ‘a meeting at a fixed time for buying and selling livestock and provisions’, from oNFr
market ‘marketplace, trade, commerce’ (oFr
marchiet, modFr
marché), from Lat
mercatus ‘trading, buying and selling, trade, market’ (> It
mercato, Sp
mercado, Du
markt, Ge
Markt), past participle of
mercari ‘to trade, deal in, buy’, from
merx (Gen
mercis) ‘wares, merchandise’, accord. to
etymonline.com from an Ital root *
merk-, possibly from Etr, referring to various aspects of economics. Meaning ‘public building or space where markets are held’ first attested
mC13. Sense of ‘sales, as controlled by supply and demand’ is from
1680.