mercy

CEFRB2

/ˈmɜːsi/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Kindness shown to someone who could be punished or harmed.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion.

Examples

  • The yacht was at the mercy of the dreadful storm.

  • Portia tempered justice with mercy.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.

  2. Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another.

  3. Instances of forbearance or forgiveness.

More examples

In context

  • Have mercy on the poor and assist them if you can.

  • Mercy is one of his many virtues.

  • She took mercy on him and quit embarrassing him.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The criminal begged for blank, but the judge gave him the maximum punishment.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English mercy, merci, from Anglo-Norman merci (compare continental Old French merci, mercit), from Latin mercēs (“wages, fee, price”), from merx (“wares, merchandise”). Displaced native Old English mildheortnes (literally "mildheartedness"). Cognate with French merci, whence the doublet merci.