mercat

market (Catalan/Valencian loanword)

noun mehr-KAHT Rare

Origin: From Catalan/Valencian mercat, cognate with Spanish mercado.

Usage Note

Mercat is the Catalan and Valencian word for market, adopted into Spanish texts — especially in Catalonia and Valencia — as a proper or quasi-proper noun, most famously in Mercat de Sant Josep (La Boqueria) in Barcelona. In standard Spanish the equivalent is mercado. Its appearance in Spanish text usually signals a Catalan cultural or geographical reference rather than everyday Castilian usage.

Examples

"Compramos verduras en el mercat local."

Natural Translation

We bought vegetables at the local market.

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