misericordia

See also: misericórdia

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin misericordia. Doublet of misericord.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmɪsəɹɪˈkɔː(ɹ)di.ə/
• Hyphenation: mi‧se‧ri‧cor‧di‧a

Noun

misericordia (countable and uncountable, plural misericordias)

1. (law, obsolete) An amercement.
   • 1769, Thomas Madox, Gervasius (of Tilbury.), The History and Antiquities of the Exchequer of the Kings of England, in Two Periods, page 527:

     It is likely there was some Difference between a Misericordia and an Amerciament. For Example : It was called an Amercement, after it was reduced to a certain Sum; and a Misericordia both before and afterwards.

   • 1824, William Hawkins, A Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown, page 94:

     Neither do I see any reason why such an award of a misericordia by a judge of a court-leet, should express any certain sum for which the party should be in misericordia, except in such cases only where no other person is afterwards to affere it; for in other cases the award of a misericordia is only in order to authorise others to fix the sum which the party is to pay to the king for his default;

   • 1880, Staffordshire Record Society, Collections for a History of Staffordshire - Volume 1, page 83:

     In criticizing this Schedule we would first observe how Gervase Paynel of Dudley having compounded for his offences by a Fine of the former year, was not visited by a misericordia of later date.

2. (historical) A misericord, a thin-bladed dagger, used in the Middle Ages to give the death wound or mercy stroke to a fallen adversary.
   • 1900, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Jeremiah Curtin, The Knights of the Cross:

     Near the armchair stood a table; on the table was a crucifix, near it a pitcher of water and a loaf of black bread; in the latter was thrust a misericordia, or that dreadful knife which knights used to despatch the wounded.

   • 1904, Arthur Griffiths, A Woman of Business, page 210:

     The feeble light of the lamp of the Madonna's shrine, most religiously attended to even here, fell upon a dark, cruel face, bearing a fixed and horrible grin, the result of a gash upon the upper lip; he carried openly in one hand a misericordia, his sharp Calabrian knife, in the other a lantern.

   • 1913, Howard Pyle, The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur, page 232:

     And with that he catched Sir Mordred by the throat and as he catched him thus he drew his misericordia to slay him.

   • 1936, Cameron Rogers, Manila Galleon, page 125:

     He had not counted upon the hidalgo's precaution in placing distance between himself and the doorway and he came now upon Don Juan with a Bilbao swishing and a misericordia clenched in the left hand.

3. An indulgence as to food or dress granted to a member of a religious order.
   • 1818, Edward Wedlake Brayley, John Preston Neale, The History and Antiquities of the Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster, page 75:

     He took care, too, that the misericordia, or superior dishes or dinners, should be partaken of by the whole community, and not, as had been customary, serve only to feast a few.

   • 1861, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Gleanings from Westminster Abbey, page 80:

     To the same brethren also, for the misericordia house, and nowhere else, 24 dishes, 12 saltcellars, and 2 chargers of silver of 10 lbs., weighing 40 lbs., and two books of coronations marked N and L.

   • 1929, Richard Harman Luce, Pages from the History of the Benedictine Monastery of Malmesbury, page 43:

     There is also an interesting set of regulations drawn up by him to ensure that due order was observed in the Monastery and that the privilege of dining in “Misericordia,” where a more generous diet was provided than in the ordinary "Refectory," was shared fairly among the brethren.

4. A charitable institution, established by royal foundation and managed by a religious order for providing care to the poor, the sick, prisoners, orphans, etc.
   • 1834, Report from His Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the Administration and practical Operation of the Poor Laws, page 645:

     Foundlings are taken charge of and treated as orphans ; there are several funds set apart for their support by express decrees of former sovereigns of Portugal; they are received into the misericordias, and supported by the chamber of municipality.

   • 1835, The Chinese Repository, page 299:

     In 1593, the senate reported to the king of Portugal that Macao had a cathedral with two parishes a misericordia with two hospitals, and four religious bodies, namely Augustines, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Capuchins.

   • 1836, Selection of Reports and Papers of the House of Commons, page lxxxiii:

     This institution is partly supported by the Government, and partly by voluntary contributions, in the same manner as the misericordias in provincial towns.

   • 1855, The Panorama of Life and Literature - Volume 1, page 613:

     Here were the tall white houses, with many windows and red roofs, the narrow streets and ample squares, the rude paving, the huge arched entrances into huge heavy quadrangular courts, the churches and the cathedral, with tall towers, capped with small Turkish domes, their doors thrown open, and mass celebrating; the pealing of the organ, and the odor of incense; a misericordia, or religious hospital, at your elbow, and an old gray convent perched on the hill above you;–all was just as it might have been in almost any Catholic country on the continent of Europe.

5. One or all of the members of the religious order that operates a misericordia.
   • 1826, M.H., “Leaves From a Journal”, in Tobias Merton, editor, The Literary magnet of the belles lettres, science, and the fine arts, volume 1, page 8:

     If a casualty happens, if a man is hurt by any common char if he has a fit, the first of the Misericordia who perceives the accident rings a little bell, and immediately any of the fraternity who may be within hearing flock to the summons,—it is their business to lend the sufferer al the aid in their power;

   • 1885, “A Brother of the Misericordia”, in The Living Age, volume 166, page 174:

     The excitement of the numerous people I met was great, but after the first few minutes, I dreaded attracting attention, and had the sense to refrain from running, trusting that the sight of a Misericordia walking barefoot would not excite remark.

   • 1898, “The Brotherhood of Pity at Florence”, in The English Illustrated Magazine, volume 19, page 288:

     Others attributed the cessagion of the sickness to the strict system of isolation insisted upon by the Misericordia.

6. A song that is sung as part of a service asking for God's mercy.
   • 1843, Alexander Dumas, “The Benedictines of St. Nicholas-Le_Vieux”, in Bradshaw's Journal, volume 4, page 151:

     The guide assisted the count to mount his mule, singing the while a sort of song which more closely resembled a misericordia than a tarentella ; but the count was too much occupied with the dinner he was to partake of, than to remark that the prelude was anything but mirthful.

   • 1856, Robert Anderson Wilson, Mexico, its peasants and its priests, page 288:

     When death stared me in the face, and she could do nothing for a perishing heretic except to solicit a passing procession to chant a misericordia por un infirmo American, that kindly office was not wanting.

   • 1864, Henry Augustus Wise, Captain Brand, of the "Centipede", page 228:

     The large lump rolling slowly over beside him had the crown of the head shaved, and the mouth and eyes were wide staring open, as if it was chanting forth a misericordia for his own soul.

   • 1882, Thomas Twining, Richard Twining, Recreations and Studies of a Country Clergyman, page 109:

     You will see plainly that I was in a pet with Ochingheim, half angry and half pleased with Josquin's monody upon him - much pleased with the Hosanna, and delighted with the Misericordias.

7. Compassionate mercy.
   • 1795, Robert Hawker, Misericordia; or compassion to the sorrows of the heart, page 50:

     Under these impressions, I am come my Brother, to offer you, what may well be considered, the truest Misericordia; in the consolations of religion to the sorrows of the heart: in comparison of which, the assistance we afford to soften the miseries of the body, become trifling and unimportant.

   • 1839, Philip Parker King, Proceedings of the first expedition, 1826-1830, under the command of Captain P. Parker King:

     The crews are exceedingly timid, and instead of making exertions to extricate their vessel from any impending danger, they throw themselves on their knees, beating the breasts and calling loudly upon their saint, for misericordia.

   • 1870 May 14, “Veronica”, in Harpers Weekly: A Journal of Civilization, volume 14, page 315:

     Oh misericordia, don't pour the Hock into that thimble: The bigger glass—the green glass—is meant for the Hock!

   • 1896, anonymous author, Classical pamphlets, page 28:

     On the other hand Cicero strives to arouse amor and misericordia for his client by representing him as an honest, unsuspecting man, who has been swindled because of the trust he has placed in Naevius, his friend, partner, and relative.

   • 1944, Benjamin Stolberg, Tailor's Progress, page 102:

     This air of misericordia gave him a thoroughly unfair advantage in his dealings as a politician and negotiator, an advantage he exploited with consummate skill. And he used his illness as part of his technique.

Derived terms

• Misericordia Sunday

 

References

• “misericordia”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Corsican

Alternative forms

• misiricordia

Etymology

From Latin misericordia. Cognates include Italian misericordia and Spanish misericordia.

Noun

misericordia f (plural misericordie)

1. pity, mercy

References

• http://infcor.adecec.net/

Italian

Etymology

From Latin misericordia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mi.ze.riˈkɔr.dja/
• Rhymes: -ɔrdja
• Hyphenation: mi‧se‧ri‧còr‧dia

Noun

misericordia f (plural misericordie)

1. pity, mercy
2. misericord (medieval dagger)

Synonyms

• mercede, compassione

Related terms

• misericordioso

Latin

Etymology

From misericors (“pitiful, compassionate, merciful”) +‎ -ia.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /mi.se.riˈkor.di.a/, [mɪs̠ɛrɪˈkɔrd̪iä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /mi.se.riˈkor.di.a/, [mis̬eriˈkɔrd̪iä]

Noun

misericordia f (genitive misericordiae); first declension

1. pity, compassion, mercy, lovingkindness, tenderness, heartedness

   Synonyms: eleēmosyna, pietās, indulgentia

   Antonyms: ferōcitās, crūdēlitās, feritās, sevēritās

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico VII.26:

     Timor misericordiam non recipit

     The fear does not admit to the mercy

2. (figuratively) wretchedness, misery; pathos

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	misericordia	misericordiae
Genitive	misericordiae	misericordiārum
Dative	misericordiae	misericordiīs
Accusative	misericordiam	misericordiās
Ablative	misericordiā	misericordiīs
Vocative	misericordia	misericordiae

Related terms

• miseria
• misericorditer
• misericors

Descendants

• Catalan: misericòrdia
• English: misericord, misericorde, misericordia
• French: miséricorde
• → Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐌴𐌹 (armahairtei) (calque)
• Italian: misericordia
• Portuguese: misericórdia
• Romanian: mizericordie
• Spanish: misericordia

References

• “misericordia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “misericordia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• misericordia in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• misericordia in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to excite some one's pity: misericordiam alicui commovere
    
  • to excite some one's pity: misericordiam alicuius concitare
    
  • to arouse feelings of compassion in some one: ad misericordiam aliquem allicere, adducere, inducere
    
  • to be touched with pity: misericordia moveri, capi (De Or. 2. 47)
    
  • to implore a person's sympathy, pity: misericordiam implorare
    

Portuguese

Noun

misericordia f (plural misericordias)

1. Obsolete spelling of misericórdia.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin misericordia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miseɾiˈkoɾdja/ [mi.se.ɾiˈkoɾ.ð̞ja]
• Rhymes: -oɾdja
• Syllabification: mi‧se‧ri‧cor‧dia

Noun

misericordia f (plural misericordias)

1. misericord
2. mercy

   Synonyms: gracia, merced, piedad

Derived terms

• Domingo de la Divina Misericordia

 

Further reading

• “misericordia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28