misericordia
/mɪˌzɛɹɪˈkɔɹdi.ə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.07 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
6
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A misericord, a thin-bladed dagger, used in the Middle Ages to give the death wound or mercy stroke to a fallen adversary.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An indulgence as to food or dress granted to a member of a religious order.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A charitable institution, established by royal foundation and managed by a religious order for providing care to the poor, the sick, prisoners, orphans, etc.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
One or all of the members of the religious order that operates a misericordia.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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;"
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
- "And with that he catched Sir Mordred by the throat and as he catched him thus he drew his misericordia to slay him."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /mɪˌzɛɹɪˈkɔɹdi.ə/
- British English: /mɪˌzɛɹɪˈkɔːdi.ə/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Phrases
Misericordia Sunday