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Webster's New World College Dictionary » mercenary
mercenary
mercenary definition
mer·ce·nary (mʉr′sə ner′ē)
adjective
- working or done for payment only; motivated by a desire for money or other gain; venal; greedy
- designating a soldier serving for pay in a foreign army; hired
Etymology: L mercenarius < merces, pay, wages, akin to merx: see market
noun pl. mercenaries -·nar′·ies
- a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army
- any person who will do anything for money; hireling
Related Forms:
- mercenarily mer′·ce·nar′i·ly adverb
- mercenariness mer′·ce·nar′i·ness noun
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