mercantilism

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mer·can·til·ism

(mûr′kən-tē-lĭz′əm, -tĭ-)

1. The theory and system of political economy prevailing in Europe after the decline of feudalism, based on national policies of accumulating bullion, establishing colonies and a merchant marine, and developing industry and mining to attain a favorable balance of trade.

2. The practice, methods, or spirit of merchants; commercialism.

[mercantil(e) + -ism.]

mer′can·til·ist adj. & n.

mer′can·til·is′tic adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mercantilism

(ˈmɜːkəntɪˌlɪzəm)

1. (Economics) economics Also called: mercantile system a theory prevalent in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries asserting that the wealth of a nation depends on its possession of precious metals and therefore that the government of a nation must maximize the foreign trade surplus, and foster national commercial interests, a merchant marine, the establishment of colonies, etc

2. (Commerce) a rare word for commercialism¹

ˈmercanˌtilist n, adj

ˌmercantiˈlistic adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mer•can•til•ism

(ˈmɜr kən tɪˌlɪz əm, -ti-, -taɪ-)

n.

1. an economic and political policy, evolving with the modern nation-state, in which a government regulated the national economy with a view to the accumulation of gold and silver, esp. by achieving a balance of exports over imports.

2. mercantile practices or spirit; commercialism.

[1870–75; < French]

mer′can•til•ist, n., adj.

mer`can•til•is′tic, adj.

mercantilism

a political and economic policy seeking to advance a state above others by accumulating large quantities of precious metals and by exporting in large quantity while importing in small. — mercantilist, n. — mercantilistic, adj.

See also: Economics

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Noun	1.	mercantilism - an economic system (Europe in 18th century) to increase a nation's wealth by government regulation of all of the nation's commercial interests mercantile system managed economy - a non-market economy in which government intervention is important in allocating goods and resources and determining prices Europe - the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
	2.	mercantilism - transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services) commerce, commercialism trading - buying or selling securities or commodities trade - the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services; "Venice was an important center of trade with the East"; "they are accused of conspiring to constrain trade" e-commerce - commerce conducted electronically (as on the internet) interchange, exchange - reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money (especially the currencies of different countries); "he earns his living from the interchange of currency" initial offering, initial public offering, IPO - a corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public business enterprise, commercial enterprise, business - the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects; "computers are now widely used in business" shipping, transport, transportation - the commercial enterprise of moving goods and materials carriage trade - trade from upper-class customers transaction, dealing, dealings - the act of transacting within or between groups (as carrying on commercial activities); "no transactions are possible without him"; "he has always been honest is his dealings with me" importation, importing - the commercial activity of buying and bringing in goods from a foreign country exporting, exportation - the commercial activity of selling and shipping goods to a foreign country marketing - the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product or service; "most companies have a manager in charge of marketing" distribution - the commercial activity of transporting and selling goods from a producer to a consumer marketing, merchandising, selling - the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money traffic - buying and selling; especially illicit trade defrayal, defrayment, payment - the act of paying money evasion, nonpayment - the deliberate act of failing to pay money; "his evasion of all his creditors"; "he was indicted for nonpayment" usance - the period of time permitted by commercial usage for the payment of a bill of exchange (especially a foreign bill of exchange) commercialise, commercialize, market - make commercial; "Some Amish people have commercialized their way of life" buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; "She buys for the big department store" take - buy, select; "I'll take a pound of that sausage" get - purchase; "What did you get at the toy store?" clear - sell; "We cleared a lot of the old model cars" turn - get by buying and selling; "the company turned a good profit after a year" negociate - sell or discount; "negociate securities" sell - exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent; "He sold his house in January"; "She sells her body to survive and support her drug habit" sell short - sell securities or commodities or foreign currency that is not actually owned by the seller, who hopes to cover (buy back) the sold items at a lower price and thus to earn a profit remainder - sell cheaply as remainders; "The publisher remaindered the books" resell - sell (something) again after having bought it deaccession - sell (art works) from a collection, especially in order to raise money for the purchase of other art works; "The museum deaccessioned several important works of this painter" fob off, foist off, palm off - sell as genuine, sell with the intention to deceive realise, realize - convert into cash; of goods and property auction, auction off, auctioneer - sell at an auction sell, trade, deal - do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood; "She deals in gold"; "The brothers sell shoes" transact - conduct business; "transact with foreign governments" deal - sell; "deal hashish" retail - sell on the retail market wholesale - sell in large quantities liquidize, sell out, sell up - get rid of all one's merchandise trade in, trade - turn in as payment or part payment for a purchase; "trade in an old car for a new one" merchandise, trade - engage in the trade of; "he is merchandising telephone sets" traffic - trade or deal a commodity; "They trafficked with us for gold" arbitrage - practice arbitrage, as in the stock market turn over - do business worth a certain amount of money; "The company turns over ten million dollars a year"

Translations

Merkantilismus

mercantilism

[ˈmɜːkəntɪlɪzəm] N → mercantilismo m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

mercantilism

n → Merkantilismus m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in periodicals archive ?

In the course of writing what has come to be considered the foundation stone of modern economics, Smith inveighed against the failures of the system that he perceived had dominated England and Europe up to that time, a system he called mercantilism. Mercantilism was a system in which the government was deeply involved in the operation of the economy, providing subsidies, bounties, and monopolistic privileges to individual companies through the assignment of exclusive privileges and trading rights.

History matters: an institutional approach examination of the U.S. constitution

Many large American companies now embrace a modern form of mercantilism. Mercantilism, which came to predominance in Europe near the end ol' feudalism, was an economic system in which the government regulated the economy and foreign trade with the objective of limiting imports and maximizing exports.

Confessions of a corporate insider: why big business opposes market-based medical care

company seeking to protect its shareholders and employees is to lobby local, state and particularly federal representatives to take a much harder line against Chinese mercantilism.

To be or not to be ... in China: pursuing a China strategy is likely on the minds of every senior financial executive--with the lure of low-cost labor and 1 billion customers--yet despite the promise of great rewards, the reality is that every step in the process is fraught with great risk

In the preface, Alan Atkinson describes the company as 'a powerful combination of free and state enterprise', characteristic of the period which followed the Napoleonic Wars but also with a hint of eighteenth-century mercantilism. The book has a good index.

Edward Parry, In the Service of the Company: Letters of Sir Edward Parry, Commissioner to the Australian Agricultural Company, December 1829-June 1832, vol.1

In the first chapter, Mercantilism and Economic Development, (Eriks S.

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Access to water is 'a right'

Knick Harley's essay in The Cambridge History on "Trade, Discovery, Mercantilism and Technology" briefly discusses repeal of the Corn Laws while Ottaway relates reform to poor laws.

Review essay: reform and social change

This history of oppression, he writes, is imposed via five principles: corporate power; state mercantilism; privileges granted to certain groups; the transfer of wealth within a closed environment; and the laws governing politics.

Fixing a hole

Mercantilism, an economic practice embraced by the Spanish crown and prevalent throughout most of Europe, relied on slave labor in the conversion of raw materials into finished products for Spanish consumption.

Blacks in Colonial Veracruz: Race, Ethnicity, and Regional Development

Could these changes usher in a new form of mercantilism?

Some thoughts on the economic impacts of assembler-era nanotechnology

Bursting out of the box--flexing up first in time first in right, and moving beyond mercantilism.