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Mercedes [Mercedes 词源字典]: fem. proper name, from Spanish, abbreviation of Maria de las Mercedes "Mary of the Mercies," from plural of merced "mercy, grace," from Latin mercedem (nominative merces); see mercy.[Mercedes etymology, Mercedes origin, 英语词源]
Mercedes-Benz: motorcar brand first marketed 1926 after merger of two earlier companies. The first part of the name, Mercedes, marketed as a car name from 1901, chosen by Austrian manufacturer Emil Jellinek for his daughter, Mercedes (1889-1929). The Benz is from the other company, from name of Karl Benz, creator of the Benz Patent Motorwagen (1886). The surname is built from a familiar form of Berthold, Benedict, or Bernhard.
mercenary (n.): late 14c., "one who works only for hire," from Old French mercenaire "mercenary, hireling" (13c.) and directly from Latin mercenarius "one who does anything for pay," literally "hired, paid," from merces (genitive mercedis) "pay, reward, wages," from merx (see market (n.)).
mercenary (adj.): 1530s, from mercenary (n.), or in part from Latin mercenarius "hired, paid, serving for pay."
mercer (n.): early 12c., "dealer in textile," from Old French mercier "shopkeeper, tradesman," from Vulgar Latin *merciarius, from Latin merx (see market (n.)).
merchandise (n.): mid-13c., "trading, commerce;" mid-14c., "commodities of commerce, wares, articles for sale or trade," from Anglo-French marchaundise, Old French marcheandise "goods, merchandise; trade, business" (12c.), from marchaunt "merchant" (see merchant).
merchandise (v.): also merchandize, "to buy and sell; to market," late 14c.; see merchant + -ize. Meaning "promote the sale of goods" is from 1926. Related: Merchandising; merchandizing.
merchandiser (n.): 1590s, agent noun from merchandise (v.).
merchandizing (n.): late 14c., "goods, commodities," from present participle of merchandize. Meaning "trade, commerce" is from mid-15c. That of "promotion of goods for sale" is from 1922.
merchant (n.): c. 1200, from Anglo-French marchaunt "merchant, shopkeeper" (Old French marcheant, Modern French marchand), from Vulgar Latin *mercatantem (nominative *mercatans) "a buyer," present participle of *mercatare, frequentative of Latin mercari "to trade, traffic, deal in" (see market). Meaning "fellow, chap" is from 1540s; with a specific qualifier, and suggesting someone who deals in it (such as speed merchant "one who enjoys fast driving"), from 1914.
merchant (adj.): c. 1400, from merchant (n.) and from Old French marcheant (adj.).
Mercia: Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Midlands, Latinized from Old English Mierce "men of the Marches," from mearc (see march (n.2)). Related: Mercian.
merciful (adj.): mid-14c.; see mercy + -ful. Related: Mercifully.
merciless (adj.): late 14c., see mercy + -less. Related: Mercilessly.
mercurial (adj.): late 14c., "pertaining to the planet Mercury" (see Mercury). Meaning "sprightly, volatile, quick" (1590s) is from supposed qualities of those born under the planet Mercury (they also are the qualities of the god Mercury), probably also partly by association with the qualities of quicksilver. A variant in this sense was mercurious (1590s). Related: Mercurially; mercuriality.
mercuric (adj.): 1828, in chemistry, from mercury + -ic.
Mercury: "the Roman god Mercury," mid-12c., from Latin Mercurius "Mercury," originally a god of tradesmen and thieves, from merx "merchandise" (see market (n.)); or perhaps [Klein, Tucker] from Etruscan and influenced by merx. Later he was associated with Greek Hermes. The planet closest to the sun so called in classical Latin (late 14c. in English). A hypothetical inhabitant of the planet was a Mercurean (1855) or a Mercurian (1868). For the metallic element, see mercury.
mercury (n.): silver-white fluid metallic element, late 14c., from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin Mercurius (see Mercury). Prepared from cinnabar, it was one of the seven metals (bodies terrestrial) known to the ancients, which were coupled in astrology and alchemy with the seven known heavenly bodies. This one probably so associated for its mobility. The others were Sun/gold, Moon/silver, Mars/iron, Saturn/lead, Jupiter/tin, Venus/copper. The Greek name for it was hydrargyros "liquid silver," which gives the element its symbol, Hg. Compare quicksilver.
mercy (n.): late 12c., "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from Old French mercit, merci (9c.) "reward, gift; kindness, grace, pity," from Latin mercedem (nominative merces) "reward, wages, pay hire" (in Vulgar Latin "favor, pity"), from merx (genitive mercis) "wares, merchandise" (see market (n.)). In Church Latin (6c.) applied to the heavenly reward of those who show kindness to the helpless.

Meaning "disposition to forgive or show compassion" is attested from early 13c. As an interjection, attested from mid-13c. In French largely superseded by miséricorde except as a word of thanks. Seat of mercy "golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant" (1530) is Tyndale's loan-translation of Luther's gnadenstuhl, an inexact rendering of Hebrew kapporeth, literally "propitiatory."
merde (n.): also merd, "dung," late 15c., from French merde "feces, excrement, dirt" (13c.), from Latin merda "dung, ordure, excrement," of unknown origin. Naturalized in English through 17c., but subsequently lost and since mid-19c. (and especially since World War I) generally treated as a French word when used in English.