mercenario

mercenary

noun mehr-seh-NAH-ryoh Rare

Origin: Latin mercenarius (hired for pay), from merces (wages)

Usage Note

Mercenario functions as both noun (a mercenary soldier) and adjective (motivated purely by money). The adjective sense — calling a person mercenario — is a strong insult implying they act only for profit with no loyalty. The feminine is mercenaria.

Examples

"El ejército contrató a varios mercenarios."

Natural Translation

The army hired several mercenaries.

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