Etymology Map
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Mart

2 stages from Middle Dutch to English.

Today it means a trading centre or market

Where does the word "mart" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch marct, adopted directly into English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
marct
Middle Dutch · medieval
"market"
a market, from Latin 'mercātus'
2
Stage 2 of 2
mart
English · 1400s
"market"
borrowed through the wool and cloth trade with Flanders; revived in shop names like Kmart in the 1960s
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Read the full story

Mart’s story begins in Middle Dutch: marct meant “market.” A market, from Latin 'mercātus'. It reached English by 1400s as mart. Borrowed through the wool and cloth trade with Flanders; revived in shop names like Kmart in the 1960s. Today, mart means a trading centre or market.