mercy

¹

[ mur-see ]

noun

, plural mer·cies

1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence:

   Have mercy on the poor sinner.

   Synonyms: tenderness, mildness, lenity, leniency, clemency, indulgence, forgiveness

   Antonyms: cruelty

2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing:

   an adversary wholly without mercy.

3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor:

   She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing:

   It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.

Mercy

²

[ mur-see ]

noun

1. a female given name.

mercy

/ ˈmɜːsɪ /

noun

1. compassionate treatment of or attitude towards an offender, adversary, etc, who is in one's power or care; clemency; pity
2. the power to show mercy

   to throw oneself on someone's mercy

3. a relieving or welcome occurrence or state of affairs

   his death was a mercy after weeks of pain

4. at the mercy of
   in the power of

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercy¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English merci, from Old French, earlier mercit, from Latin mercēd-, stem of mercēs “wages” ( Late Latin, Medieval Latin: “heavenly reward”), derivative of merc-, stem of merx “commodity, goods, merchandise”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mercy¹

C12: from Old French, from Latin mercēs wages, recompense, price, from merx goods

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at the mercy of, entirely in the power of; subject to: Also at one's mercy.

   They were at the mercy of their captors.

More idioms and phrases containing mercy

see at the mercy of .

Example Sentences

“May God have mercy on our martyrs. The resistance is a source of honour and pride for us. Without its existence, there would be no homeland, no south, nothing.”

From BBC

The strategy kept the Dodgers from making any crippling mistakes but also placed them at the mercy of market conditions.

From Los Angeles Times

Some members of an art scene, once it has become the subject of myth, make a habit of downplaying its reputed virtues, usually for reasons of mercy, modesty, or self-preservation.

From New York Times

He argues that leaseholders are at the mercy of companies who are “just there to make money out of them”.

From BBC

"Our main concern now is the fate of existing leaseholders who are currently suffering at the mercy of unregulated managing agents and unscrupulous freeholders," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• benevolence
• blessing
• charity
• clemency
• forgiveness
• generosity
• goodwill
• grace
• leniency
• pity
• sympathy
• tolerance