# When did "merch" become a word?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 13, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082 "2017-03-13T12:33:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082/21 "2017-03-15T10:04:54Z")

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Industry jargon , whatever the industry, often contracts words … its not expected that we should consider it a new word.

I was recently working in the bedding industry, and the big soft things you sleep on were “matts”.

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082/22 "2017-03-15T10:20:22Z")

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In 1918 the German Dadaist Kurt Schwitters invented a kind of found-object collage art he called _Merz_ (pronounced “merts”) from a fragment of found text (a scrap of newspaper, I think) that had contained the word _Kommerz_ (commerce) in the first _Merz_ piece he made. As a clipped derivation, “merch” invites comparison with Merz, although there’s probably no direct connection between them.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082/23 "2017-03-15T12:17:03Z")

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From the 1999 song _American Pie_ by British ska band Catch-22:

“Merch guys and roadies around the world this is your time so grab your girl”

It’s clear from the context that this refers to merchandise sold on a tour.

A few other lyric hits starting in 2001, but really ramping up in 2004.

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**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-merch-become-a-word/782082/24 "2017-03-15T12:58:12Z")

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Some retail workers use “merch” as a verb, meaning “arrange (or rearrange) merchandise on a display.” So you could merch a table, merch an endcap, and so on.

Short for “merchandising.” You can see why it’d get shortened.

My GF, a former merch specialist, sometimes finds herself merching messed-up displays when she’s shopping.

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