misericordia

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Origin: L., mercy, compassion; miser wretched + cor, cordis, heart.

1. O. Law An amercement. Alexander Mansfield. Burrill

2. Anc. Armor. A thin-bladed dagger; so called, in the Middle Ages, because used to give the death wound or “mercy” stroke to a fallen adversary.

3. Church An indulgence as to food or dress granted to a member of a religious order. Orby Shipley

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54