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mercy

  (mûr') pronunciation
mercy

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n., pl. -cies.
  1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency.
  2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy.
  3. Something for which to be thankful; a blessing: It was a mercy that no one was hurt.
  4. Alleviation of distress; relief: Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy.
idiom:

at the mercy of

  1. Without any protection against; helpless before: drifting in an open boat, at the mercy of the elements.

[Middle English, from Old French merci, from Medieval Latin mercēs, from Latin, reward.]

SYNONYMS  mercy, leniency, lenity, clemency, charity. These nouns mean humane and kind, sympathetic, or forgiving treatment of or disposition toward others. Mercy is compassionate forbearance: “We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves” (George Eliot). Leniency and lenity imply mildness, gentleness, and often a tendency to reduce punishment: “When you have gone too far to recede, do not sue [appeal] to me for leniency” (Charles Dickens). “His Majesty gave many marks of his great lenity, often . . . endeavoring to extenuate your crimes” (Jonathan Swift). Clemency is mercy shown by someone with judicial authority: The judge believed in clemency for youthful offenders. Charity is goodwill and benevolence in judging others: “But how shall we expect charity towards others, when we are uncharitable to ourselves?” (Thomas Browne).


 
 
Thesaurus: mercy

noun

    Kind, forgiving, or compassionate treatment of or disposition toward others: charity, clemency, grace, lenience, leniency, lenity, mercifulness. See forgiveness/vindictiveness.

 
Antonyms: mercy

n

Definition: kindness, compassion
Antonyms: cruelty, intolerance, meanness, ruthlessness, uncompassion


 
A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


n.

An attribute beloved of detected offenders.


 
Word Tutor: mercy
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - Alleviation of distress; A disposition to be kind and forgiving.

pronunciation If you are going to err, err on the side of mercy. — Spencer W. Kimball

 

Quotes:

"It is easy to condemn, it is better to pity." - Lyman Abbott

"The merciful shall obtain mercy." - Bible

"Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. [Mathew]" - Bible

"A merciful person is merciful to their animals." - Bible

"Of all the characters of cruelty, I consider the most despicable the one that cloaks himself in a garb of mercy." - Fox

"Religion and education are no match for evil without the grace of God." - B. R. Hayden

See more famous quotes about Mercy

 
Wikipedia: Mercy
Pierre Montallier: The Works of Mercy, c. 1680
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Pierre Montallier: The Works of Mercy, c. 1680

Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French merci, from Medieval Latin merced-, merces, from Latin, "price paid, wages", from merc-, merx "merchandise") can refer both to compassionate behaviour on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge toward a convict) or on the part of a humanitarian third party (e.g. a mission of mercy aiming to treat war victims). Mercy is a term used to describe the leniency or compassion shown by one person to another, or a request from one person to another to be shown such leniency or compassion. One of the basic virtues of chivalry and Christian ethics, it is also related to concepts of justice and morality in behaviour between people. In India, compassion is known as karuna.

In a legal sense, a defendant having been found guilty of a capital crime may ask for clemency from being executed. (A famous literary example is from The Merchant of Venice when Portia asks Shylock to show mercy. The quality of mercy is not strained, she tells him.)

A number of organizations (e.g. the Mercy Corps, the Sisters of Mercy and the Temple of Mercy and Charity) use the word "mercy" in their name to describe their work.

References

  • Ralf van Bühren: Die Werke der Barmherzigkeit in der Kunst des 12.–18. Jahrhunderts. Zum Wandel eines Bildmotivs vor dem Hintergrund neuzeitlicher Rhetorikrezeption (Studien zur Kunstgeschichte, vol. 115), Hildesheim / Zürich / New York: Verlag Georg Olms 1998. ISBN 3-487-10319-2
  • Sterling Harwood, "Is Mercy Inherently Unjust?," in Michael J. Gorr and Sterling Harwood, eds., Crime and Punishment: Philosophic Explorations (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2000, formerly Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1996), pp. 464-470.
  • Jeffrie G. Murphy, "Mercy and Legal Justice," in Michael J. Gorr and Sterling Harwood, eds., Crime and Punishment: Philosophic Explorations (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2000, formerly Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 1996), pp. 454-463.
  • Lampert, K.(2005); Traditions of Compassion: From Religious Duty to Social Activism. Palgrave-Macmillan

 
Translations: Translations for: Mercy

Dansk (Danish)
n. - barmhjertighed, nåde
int. - du godeste!

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    være i nogens/nogets magt
  • be grateful for small mercies    være taknemmelig for lidt
  • mercy killing    medlidenhedsdrab
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    overgive sig på nåde og unåde

Nederlands (Dutch)
genade, barmhartigheid, zegen, geluk, genadig, barmhartig, gelukkig

Français (French)
n. - clémence, miséricorde, pitié, compassion, à la merci, chance que, (Jur) en grâce
int. - pitié (excl)

idioms:

  • at the mercy of    être à la merci de
  • be grateful for small mercies    savoir apprécier sa chance
  • have mercy on    avoir pitié de (qn)
  • mercy killing    euthanasie, acte d'euthanasie
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    s'en remettre au bon vouloir de

Deutsch (German)
n. - Erbarmen, Gnade, glückliche Fügung
int. - Gnade! Erbarmen!

idioms:

  • at the mercy of    ausgeliefert sein
  • be grateful for small mercies    zufrieden mit dem (wenigen), was man hat
  • have mercy on    (Rel.) Herr, erbarme Dich [unser]
  • mercy killing    aktive Sterbehilfe
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    sich jmdm. ausliefern

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - έλεος, οίκτος, ευσπλαχνία, λύπηση, ευλογία

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    είμαι στο έλεος κάποιου
  • be grateful for small mercies    είμαι ευγνώμων και για τις μικρότερες ευεργεσίες
  • mercy killing    ευθανασία
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    εγκαταλείπομαι στο έλεος κάποιου

Italiano (Italian)
misericordia, grazia, compassione

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    essere alla mercé di
  • grateful for small mercies    grato di ogni beneficio
  • mercy killing    eutanasia
  • throw oneself on someone's mercy    mettersi alla mercè di qualcuno

Português (Portuguese)
n. - mercê (f), discrição, perdão (m)

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    estar à mercê de
  • grateful for small mercies    dos males o menor
  • mercy killing    eutanásia (m)
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    pedir clemência

Русский (Russian)
милосердие, сострадание, помилование

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    быть во власти чего-л.
  • grateful for small mercies    всякое деяние есть благо
  • mercy killing    умерщвление при неизлечимой болезни
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    отдаться на милость кого-л.

Español (Spanish)
n. - misericordia, clemencia, compasión
int. - Clemencia!

idioms:

  • at the mercy of    estar a merced de, estar en manos de, bajo el control de, en poder de
  • be grateful for small mercies    tener que agradecer por algo, agradecer los pequeños favores
  • have mercy on    tener compasión
  • mercy killing    eutanasia
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    abandonarse a la merced de alguien, quedar a merced de

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - barmhärtighet, lycka, tur

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
仁慈, 慈悲, 宽恕, 嗳呀!

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    任凭...摆布, 完全受...的支配
  • be grateful for small mercies    对一点小恩惠很感激
  • mercy killing    无痛致死, 安乐死
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    请求某人宽恕

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 仁慈, 慈悲, 寬恕
int. - 噯呀!

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    任憑...擺布, 完全受...的支配
  • be grateful for small mercies    對一點小恩惠很感激
  • mercy killing    無痛致死, 安樂死
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    請求某人寬恕

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 인정, 은혜
int. - 저런!

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    마음대로 하는
  • be grateful for small mercies    안 좋은 상황이 조금은 경감되다
  • throw oneself on the mercy of    자비를 빌다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 慈悲, 寛大さ, ありがたいこと

idioms:

  • be at the mercy of    …のなすがままに
  • mercy killing    安楽死

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رحمه, رأفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רחמים, רחמנות, מזל, הקלה, טוב-לב, סלחנות‬
int. - ‮קריאת הפתעה או פחד‬


 
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Devil's Dictionary. Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911  Read more
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Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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