Comments on: How is the word "merc" pronounced and what does it mean?

Question: How is the word "merc" pronounced and what does it mean?

mygothlaundry — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:21:28 -0800

Pronunciation/Definition Filter: The "word" merc. (+)

When it's used in reference to cars, does it mean Mercedes, or Mercury, or both? And how is it pronounced, or is it just a written thing? If it refers to both, is it pronounced differently in each case, like to rhyme with hearse when referring to a German luxury car or to rhyme with clerk when referring to. . well, whatever a Mercury is, old American car, I think (do they still make them?)

And, just to totally confuse the issue, what if merc is being used to refer to mercenaries, as in some hardboiled books I've read, where they talk about a merc on a killing spree, or companies of mercs.

Which leads me to a whole other issue, how do you make it plural?

By: jefgodesky

jefgodesky — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:28:57 -0800

For mercaneries, I've always seen it written "mercs," and heard it pronounced "murk."

I've never seen or heard the term used in reference to cars.

By: modofo

modofo — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:29:11 -0800

I've always heard it pronounced "merk" when referring to mercenaries, which doesn't really make sense to me.

By: duck

duck — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:30:00 -0800

Based on the song Darlington Darling I assumed it was a mercedes, since the song is basically about how the narrator builds them but will never be able to afford one.

By: skynxnex

skynxnex — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:30:11 -0800

I'm pretty sure it only refers to Mercury. I've always herd it pronounced to rhyme with clerk. If it's being used to refer to mecenaries, it means that. And it's pronounced the same way. And, what's wrong with "mercs" as the plural? It also seems to be used to refer to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:38:04 -0800

I've always heard it pronounced "merk" when referring to mercenaries, which doesn't really make sense to me.

Yeah, but "merks" sounds kind of badass, and something like "merses" would sound more foppy.

By: nylon

nylon — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:49:57 -0800

skynxnex: in the UK, merc = Mercedes, since we don't have Mercuries. And it's pronounced MURK. Not MERSE. Neither of which rhyme with clerk, which is pronounced CLARK.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:15:23 -0800

And Jaguar is pronounced Jag-you-are. But only by fops.

By: stopgap

stopgap — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:21:10 -0800

Wait. Clerk is pronounced clark? Oh, you wacky Brits.

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:24:21 -0800

No No No. Nylon is right. Merc rhymes with berk (whether a German car or not), and Jaguar is pronounced jag-yew-uh, of course.

By: drobot

drobot — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:31:55 -0800

In at least one short story by Raymond Carver, the term "merc" is used to refer to a Mercury and I would pronounce that "merk"

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 12:37:02 -0800

wow. i havent heard anyone use the term since the muscle car decade, and then it meant mercury. (1960's west michigan). we old hippies tend toward the more accurate term "hired killer" instead of mercenary.

By: SpecialK

SpecialK — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 13:14:37 -0800

In the states, "Merc" refers to a Mercury. In the distant past, Mercs were expensive and on par with Caddilacs as american muscle/luxury cars.

In common american lexicon or sci-fi stories, Mercs are mercenaries. This came out of sci-fi and trickled down into society, I think.

Pronunciation in the states rhymes with "Clerk".

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 14:19:18 -0800

I only know "merc" (pronounced "murk") as short for "Mercury"; never heard or saw the "mercenary" use, which seems weird to me, but that's because I haven't seen it.

Pronunciation in the states rhymes with "Clerk".

SpecialK, are you just trying to confuse the Brits?

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 15:04:07 -0800

I know merc as short for Mercury and pronounced to rhyme with clerk with the m a sort of drawn out mer. But I think us hotrod/muscle car types are losing this war. All the kids seem to have the misimpression merc=mercedes

By: FlamingBore

FlamingBore — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 15:06:13 -0800

I'll pipe in and say that it's referring to Mercury, as everyone I know that owns a Mercedes calls it either a Mercedes or a Benz. Never by both though.

By: bingo

bingo — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 15:31:21 -0800

I think the first time I heard it (I'm 33) in reference to mercenaries was in Lethal Weapon II. I don't think it comes from science fiction. In fact, why wouldn't it come from reality?

By: rushmc

rushmc — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 17:33:41 -0800

never heard or saw the "mercenary" use

Really? That's the only use I've ever seen...never heard the car ones.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 19:34:30 -0800

To me, it's pronounced "murk", and it means Mercedes (or, as generally agreed, mercenary). The plural is mercs (pronounced "murks").

(we don't have mercury cars in Aus...)

By: carter

carter — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 22:04:06 -0800

Merc rhymes with berk

Berkshire (the UK county) is however pronounced "Bark-shire" (take note, US visitors).

By: carter

carter — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 22:09:56 -0800

And a berk (rhymes with Merc) is a twit.

By: longbaugh

longbaugh — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 09:44:39 -0800

Berk is actually a lot ruder than that as it comes from rhyming slang - Berkeley Hunt = c*nt.

As a non-yank my experience of the word Merc (prn. Murk) is that is in common usage both for mercenary and Mercedes-Benz. Mercury has always been used in it's full sense in any instance I have heard it. As in "Blue Mercury Coupe*"

*Coupe being prn. "coop" which has always baffled me as I have always said "coop-ay".