mer ‧ chant /ˈmɜːtʃ ə nt $ ˈmɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: marcheant , from Latin mercatus , past participle of mercari 'to buy and sell' ]
1 . wine/coal/timber etc merchant someone whose job is to buy and sell wine, coal etc, or a small company that does this:
He had a job with an Edinburgh wine merchant.
2 . old-fashioned someone who buys and sells goods in large quantities:
the son of a wealthy merchant
3 . con merchant/speed merchant etc British English informal someone who is involved in a particular activity, such as tricking people or driving very fast