I. mer ‧ ce ‧ na ‧ ry 1 /ˈmɜːs ə n ə ri $ ˈmɜːrsəneri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural mercenaries ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: mercenarius , from merces 'payment for work' ; ⇨ ↑ mercy ]
a soldier who fights for any country or group that will pay him:
an army of foreign mercenaries
a mercenary soldier
II. mercenary 2 BrE AmE adjective
only interested in the money you may be able to get from a person, job etc:
She did it for purely mercenary reasons.
a mercenary attitude