law merchant

noun

plural laws merchant

: the legal rules formerly applied to cases arising in commercial transactions

Examples of law merchant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The rules governing commerce between nations, themselves derived from the law merchant, are a perfect example of non-governmental law. —

Alexander William Salter, National Review, 6 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'law merchant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of law merchant was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Law merchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/law%20merchant. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

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Legal Definition

law merchant

noun

: the commercial rules developed under English common law that influenced modern commercial law and that are referred to as supplementing rules set down in the Uniform Commercial Code and in state codes