noun
mercy
MUR-see
noun
1
Kindness or forgiveness shown toward someone who could reasonably be punished or treated harshly instead.
"The general showed mercy to the surrendering soldiers."
"She begged for mercy, but the sentence stood."
2
A fortunate thing; a blessing, especially something to be grateful for given the circumstances.
"It was a mercy the children weren't in the car when it happened."
intj
1
Used to express surprise, alarm, or relief.
""Mercy!" she cried when she saw the mess."
How to Use Mercy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCompassion shown to someone who might otherwise be punished, or a stroke of luck given how bad things could have been.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
show mercy
beg for mercy
a mercy killing
have mercy on
Word Forms
mercied past tense, mercies plural, Mercys plural, mercies singular
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Etymology
From Anglo-Norman merci, from Latin mercedem ("wages" or "reward"), which also produced the French word merci ("thank you").