mercy
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (5)mercies
- leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice“he threw himself on the mercy of the court”Synonyms: clemencymercifulnessType of lenience, leniencyKinds commutation, reprieve, amnesty, quarter
- a disposition to be kind and forgiving“in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband”Synonyms: mercifulnessType of humanenessKinds compassion, lenience, forgivingness
- the feeling that motivates compassionSynonyms: mercifulnessType of compassion, compassionatenessKinds forgiveness
- something for which to be thankful“it was a mercy we got out alive”Type of blessing, boon
- alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed“distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy”Type of relief, succor
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun compassion, forgiveness
- Spanish
- misericordia
- French
- miséricorde
- German
- Barmherzigkeit
- Italian
- misericordia
- Portuguese
- misericórdia
- Turkish
- merhamet
- Russian
- милосе́рдие milosérdije
- Arabic
- رَحْمَة raḥma
- Japanese
- 慈悲 jihi
- Dutch
- barmhartigheid
19 more languages
- Polish
- miłosierdzie
- Swedish
- nåd
- Greek
- έλεος éleos
- Korean
- 자비 jabi
- Hungarian
- irgalom
- Portuguese (PT)
- misericórdia
- Albanian
- ndjesë
- Czech
- milosrdenství
- Danish
- barmhjertighed
- Esperanto
- kompato
- Estonian
- arm
- Finnish
- armo
- Georgian
- შეწყალება šec̣q̇aleba
- Hebrew
- רַחֲמִים rakhamím
- Icelandic
- miskunn
- Norwegian
- nåde
- Romanian
- mizericordie
- Slovak
- milosť
- Swahili
- huruma
Noun forgiveness or compassion
- Spanish
- piedad
- German
- Erbarmen
- Italian
- compassione
- Portuguese
- misericórdia
- Turkish
- merhamet
- Russian
- милосе́рдие milosérdije
- Arabic
- رَحْمَة raḥma
- Dutch
- genade
- Polish
- litość
- Swedish
- nåd
9 more languages
- Korean
- 인정 injeong
- Hungarian
- irgalom
- Portuguese (PT)
- misericórdia
- Danish
- nåde
- Finnish
- armo
- Hebrew
- רַחֲמִים rakhamím
- Norwegian
- nåde
- Romanian
- compătimire
- Swahili
- huruma
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. merci, F. merci, L. merces, mercedis, hire, pay, reward, LL., equiv. to misericordia pity, mercy. L. merces is probably akin to merere 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.— Francis, Baron Verulam 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 Thomas 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 Roman Catholic Church,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.
Synonyms: See Grace.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54