Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

mercēnārĭus (in old MSS. written mercennarius), a, um, adj. [1. merces], that does any thing for reward or pay; hired for money, wages, or pay; paid, hired, mercenary (opp. to gratuitus, without pay, gratuitous).

  1. I. Adj.
    1. A. Of persons: comes, Cic. Pis. 21, 49: miles, Liv. 24, 49: testes, hired, bribed, Cic. Fam. 3, 11, 3: praetor, id. Verr. 2, 5, 21, § 54.
    2. B. Of inanim. and abstr. things: mercenaria arma, Liv. 30, 8: liberalitas gratuitane est, an mercenaria? Cic. Leg. 1, 18, 48: ancilla mercenariae stipis, Plin. 10, 63, 83, § 172: vincla, his hireling fetters, i. e. his salaried office of praeco, which kept him confined, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 67.
  2. II. Subst.: mercēnārĭus, ii, m., a hireling, hired servant: tuus mercenarius, Plaut. Poen. 2, 1, 55: non male praecipiunt, qui ita jubent uti servis, ut mercenariis, Cic. Off. 1, 13, 41: illiberales et sordidi quaestus mercenariorum, id. ib. 1, 42, 150: Oppionici, id. Clu. 59, 163: servus perpetuus mercenarius est, i. e. eye-server, Sen. Ben. 3, 22, 1.