Meph"i*tism (?), n. Same as Mephitis, 1.
Me*ra"cious (?), a. [L. meracus, fr. merus pure, inmixed.] Being
without mixture or adulteration; hence, strong; racy. [Obs.]
Mer"ca*ble (?), a. [L. mercabilis, fr. mercari to trade, traffic, buy.
See Merchant.] Capable of being bought or sold. [Obs.]
Mer"can*tile (?; 277), a. [F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L.
mercans, - antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See Merchant.] Of or
pertaining to merchants, or the business of merchants; having to do
with trade, or the buying and selling of commodities; commercial.
The expedition of the Argonauts was partly mercantile, partly
military.
Arbuthnot.
Mercantile agency, an agency for procuring information of the standing
and credit of merchants in different parts of the country, for the use
of dealers who sell to them. - - Mercantile marine, the persons and
vessels employed in commerce, taken collectively. -- Mercantile paper,
the notes or acceptances given by merchants for goods bought, or
received on consignment; drafts on merchants for goods sold or
consigned. McElrath.
Syn. -- Mercantile, Commercial. Commercial is the wider term, being
sometimes used to embrace mercantile. In their stricter use, commercial
relates to the shipping, freighting, forwarding, and other business
connected with the commerce of a country (whether external or
internal), that is, the exchange of commodities; while mercantile
applies to the sale of merchandise and goods when brought to market. As
the two employments are to some extent intermingled, the two words are
often interchanged.
Mer*cap"tal (?), n. [Mercaptan + aldehyde.] (Chem.) Any one of a series
of compounds of mercaptans with aldehydes.
Mer*cap"tan (?), n. [F., fr. NL. mercurius mercury + L. captans, p. pr.
of captare to seize, v. intens. fr. capere.] (Chem.) Any one of series
of compounds, hydrosulphides of alcohol radicals, in composition
resembling the alcohols, but containing sulphur in place of oxygen, and
hence called also the sulphur alcohols. In general, they are colorless
liquids having a strong, repulsive, garlic odor. The name is
specifically applied to ethyl mercaptan, C2H5SH. So called from its
avidity for mercury, and other metals.
Mer*cap"tide (? or ?), n. (Chem.) A compound of mercaptan formed by
replacing its sulphur hydrogen by a metal; as, potassium mercaptide,
C2H5SK.
Mer"cat (?), n. [L. mercatus : cf. It. mercato. See Market.] Market;
trade. [Obs.] Bp. Sprat.
Mer`ca*tan"te (?; It. ?), n. [It. See Merchant.] A foreign trader.
[Obs.] Shak.
Mer*ca"tor's chart" (?). See under Chart, and see Mercator's
projection, under Projection.
Mer"ca*ture (?; 135), n. [L. mercatura commerce.] Commerce; traffic;
trade. [Obs.]
Merce (?), v. t. [See Amerce.] To subject to fine or amercement; to
mulct; to amerce. [Obs.]
||Mer`ce*na"ri*a (?), n. [NL. See Mercenary.] (Zoöl.) The quahog.