I. ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌerē, -ri noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English mercenarie, from Latin mercenarius, mercennarius, adjective & noun, from merced-, merces wages, reward + -arius -ary — more at mercy
1. : one that serves merely for wages : hireling
half a dozen such mercenaries judiciously placed … may turn a cold audience into an enthusiastic one — A.T.Weaver
2. : a person paid for his work ; especially : a soldier hired into foreign service
the kingdom was now supported … largely by foreign mercenaries and a made-to-order navy — A.L.Kroeber
II. adjective
Etymology: Latin mercenarius, mercennarius
1.
a. : serving merely for pay or gain : seeking sordid advantage : venal
abandoned their high standards and disinterested motives in favor of a mercenary concern over fees — W.T. & Barbara Fitts
so thoroughly mercenary , so frankly greedy, that there's nothing disagreeable about it — Dashiell Hammett
b. : showing conspicuous lust for money : based on or marked by greed
if a writer's attitude toward his characters and his scene is … as mercenary as an auctioneer's, vulgar and meretricious will his product for ever remain — Willa Cather
2.
a. : employed or engaged primarily on a wage basis — now used only of a soldier serving in the army of a country other than his own
b. obsolete : paid , salaried : commercial — used of an office or enterprise