MERCY

clemency, mercifulness, mercy

(noun) leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; “he threw himself on the mercy of the court”

mercy

(noun) alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed; “distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy”

mercifulness, mercy

(noun) a disposition to be kind and forgiving; “in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband”

mercifulness, mercy

(noun) the feeling that motivates compassion

mercy

(noun) something for which to be thankful; “it was a mercy we got out alive”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

mercy (countable and uncountable, plural mercies)

(uncountable) Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another.

Antonyms: mercilessness, ruthlessness, cruelty

(uncountable) Forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.

(uncountable) A tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion.

(countable) Instances of forbearance or forgiveness.

(countable) A blessing; something to be thankful for.

Verb

mercy (third-person singular simple present mercies, present participle mercying, simple past and past participle mercied)

To feel mercy

To show mercy; to pardon or treat leniently because of mercy

Interjection

mercy

Expressing surprise or alarm.

Proper noun

Mercy

A female given name from English, one of the less common Puritan virtue names.

Source: Wiktionary

Mer"cy, n.; pl. Mercies. Etym: [OE. merci, F. merci, L. merces, mercedis, hire, pay, reward, LL., equiv. to misericordia pity, mercy. L. merces is probmerere to deserve, acquire. See Merit, and cf. Amerce.]

1. Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency. Examples of justice must be made for terror to some; examples of mercy for comfort to others. Bacon.

2. Compassionate treatment of the unfortunate and helpless; sometimes, favor, beneficence. Luke x. 37.

3. Disposition to exercise compassion or favor; pity; compassion; willingness to spare or to help. In whom mercy lacketh and is not founden. Sir T. Elyot.

4. A blessing regarded as a manifestation of compassion or favor. The Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 2 Cor. i. 3. Mercy seat (Bib.), the golden cover or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. See Ark, 2.

– Sisters of Mercy (R. C. Ch.),a religious order founded in Dublin in the year 1827. Communities of the same name have since been established in various American cities. The duties of those belonging to the order are, to attend lying-in hospitals, to superintend the education of girls, and protect decent women out of employment, to visit prisoners and the sick, and to attend persons condemned to death.

– To be at the mercy of, to be wholly in the power of.

Syn.

– See Grace.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition