Lewis & Short

merx, cis

    (
  1. I. nom. sing. merces, Sall. Fragm. ap. Charis. p. 27 P.), f. [mereo], goods, wares, commodities, merchandise (class.): invendibili merce oportet ultro emptorem adducere: Proba merx facile emptorem reperit, Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 128: fallaces et fucosae, Cic. Rab. Post. 14, 40: peregrina et delicata, Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 1: femineae, for women, Ov. M. 13, 165: esculenta, eatables, victuals, Col. 11, 3: navem mercibus implere, Juv. 14, 288: sarmenta quoque in merce sunt, are an article of merchandise, Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 118: Arabiae et Indiae, id. 19, 1, 2, § 7: mercis sordidae negotiator, Quint. 1, 12, 17: in peculiari merce negotiari, Gai. Inst. 4, 72.
  2. II. Transf., in gen., a thing (ante-class.).
    1. A. Of persons: mala merx haec, et callida est, a bad lot, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 61; id. Ps. 4, 1, 44; id. Pers. 2, 2, 56.
      Plur.: novi ego illas malas merces, Plaut. Cas. 3, 6, 23: o mercis malae! id. Truc. 2, 4, 58.
    2. B. Of inanim. and abstr. subjects: ut aetas mala mala’st merces tergo! Plaut. Men. 5, 2, 6 Ritschl N. cr. (in old MSS. for merx also mers is written acc. to Ritschl; v. Rhein. Mus. 10, p. 454 sq.).