mercenary

mercenary
mercenarily /merr'seuh nair"euh lee, merr"seuh ner'-/, adv.mercenariness, n.
/merr"seuh ner'ee/, adj., n., pl. mercenaries.
adj.
1. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal.
2. hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.
n.
3. a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
4. any hireling.
[1350-1400; ME mercenarie < L mercennarius working for pay, hired worker, mercenary, perh., repr. earlier *merced(i)narius, equiv. to *mercedin-, s. of *mercedo, a by-form of merces, s. merced- payment, wage (akin to merx goods; cf. MERCHANT) + -arius -ARY]
Syn. 1. grasping, acquisitive, avaricious, covetous.
Ant. 1. altruistic, idealistic, unselfish.

* * *

Hired professional soldier who fights for any state or nation without regard to political principles.

From the earliest days of organized warfare, governments supplemented their military forces with mercenaries. After the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), Swiss soldiers were hired out all over Europe by their own cantonal governments and won a high reputation. Rulers of the German state of Hesse also hired out their soldiers, and Hessian troops fought for the British in the American Revolution. Since the late 18th century, most mercenaries have been individual soldiers of fortune.

* * *

      hired professional soldier who fights for any state or nation without regard to political interests or issues. From the earliest days of organized warfare until the development of political standing armies in the mid-17th century, governments frequently supplemented their military forces with mercenaries.

      Employment of mercenaries could be politically dangerous as well as expensive, as in the case of the early 14th-century almogaváres, Spanish frontiersmen hired by the Byzantine Empire to fight the Turks. After helping defeat the enemy, the almogaváres turned on their patrons and attacked the Byzantine town of Magnesia (modern Alaşehir, Tur.). After the assassination of their leader they spent two years ravaging Thrace and then moved on to Macedonia.

      Following the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), Europe was overrun with thousands of men who had been trained for nothing but fighting. During the 15th century “free companies” of Swiss, Italian, and German soldiers sold their services to various princes and dukes. These hired soldiers, often greedy, brutal, and undisciplined, were capable of deserting on the eve of battle, betraying their patrons, and plundering civilians. Much of their mutinous behaviour was the result of their employer's unwillingness or inability to pay for their services. When rigid discipline, sustained by prompt payment, was enforced (as in the army of Maurice of Nassau), mercenaries could prove to be effective soldiers. Swiss soldiers were hired out on a large scale all over Europe by their own cantonal governments and enjoyed a high reputation. In 18th-century France the Swiss regiments were elite formations in the regular army.

      Since the late 18th century, however, mercenaries have been, for the most part, individual soldiers of fortune. Since World War II they have won some prominence for their exploits in certain Third World countries, especially in Africa, where they were hired both by government and by antigovernment groups.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mercenary — (Mercenary For Justice) est un film d action américain réalisé par Don E. Fauntleroy, sorti en 2006. Sommaire 1 Synospis 2 Fiche technique 3 Distribution 4 Lien externe …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mercenary — Datos generales Origen  Dinamarca Información artística …   Wikipedia Español

  • mercenary — adj Mercenary, hireling, venal, hack are comparable though not closely synonymous terms when they are applied to persons, or their acts, services, or products with the meaning actuated or motivated chiefly by a desire for profit. Mercenary… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Mercenary — Mer ce*na*ry, a. [OE. mercenarie, F. mercenaire, fr. L. mercenarius, fr. merces wages, reward. See {Mercy}.] 1. Acting for reward; serving for pay; paid; hired; hireling; venal; as, mercenary soldiers. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: Moved primarily by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mercenary — (engl.: Söldner/geldgierig) bezeichnet ein Computerspiel, siehe Mercenary (Computerspiel) eine Metal Band aus Dänemark, siehe Mercenary (Band) Diese Seite ist eine Be …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mercenary — [adj] greedy for money acquisitive, avaricious, bribable, corrupt, covetous, grabby, grasping, miserly, money grubbing, selfish, sordid, stingy, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, venal; concept 401 Ant. generous, unselfish mercenary [n]… …   New thesaurus

  • Mercenary — Mer ce*na*ry, n.; pl. {Mercenaries}. One who is hired; a hireling; especially, a soldier hired into foreign service. Milman. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mercenary — I adjective accessible to bribery, acquisitive, avaricious, bribable, conductus, corrupt, corruptible, covetous, exacting, exploitative, grasping, greedy, hired, hireling, leased, materialistic, mercenarius, money conscious, money hungry,… …   Law dictionary

  • mercenary — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ motivated chiefly by the desire for gain. ► NOUN (pl. mercenaries) ▪ a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army. ORIGIN from Latin mercenarius hireling , from merces reward …   English terms dictionary

  • mercenary — [mʉr′sə ner΄ē] adj. [L mercenarius < merces, pay, wages, akin to merx: see MARKET] 1. working or done for payment only; motivated by a desire for money or other gain; venal; greedy 2. designating a soldier serving for pay in a foreign army;… …   English World dictionary

  • Mercenary — For other uses, see Mercenary (disambiguation). Leonardo da Vinci s Il Condottieri, 1480. Condottieri being the Late Middle Age Through Renaissance term for Mercenary soldier leader(s) in Italian. A Mercenary, also known as a professional soldier …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”