amercement
(əˈmɜːsmənt)
Also 5 amerciment, amercyment.
[a. AFr. amerciment, n. of action f. amercier; see amerce. Often aphet. in 16th c. to merciment, and in 15th varied with amerciament after med.L.]
1. The infliction of a penalty left to the ‘mercy’ of the inflicter; hence the imposition of an arbitrary mulct or fine (originally lighter in amount than fines fixed for specific offences).
| 1513 More Rich. III (1557) 62/1 Amercements turned into fines, fines into ransomes. 1523 Fitzherb. Surv. xv. (1539) 33 Most commonly by fynes and mercimentes. 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. ii. iii. (1851) 159 [The church] wanting the beggarly help of halings and amercements in the use of her powerful Keies. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. 275 Liable to an amercement from the crown for raising a false accusation. 1849 Grote Greece V. ii. xliii. 299 The defeat, the humiliation, and the amercement of the Carthaginians. |
2. The mulct or fine so inflicted.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. 678 Eek they taken of hire bonde men amercimentȝ [v.r. amercymentȝ, -cementis, -cementȝ, -sementes, -cymentes, -ciament] whiche myghten moore resonably ben cleped extorcions than amercimentȝ [mercymentȝ, -mentes]. 1483 Plumpton Corr. 43 Yt is necessary to aske, distreyne, and levie the sayd amerciments. 1580 Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong., Amende, an amercement, a fine. 1591 Percivall Span. Dict., Multa, an amercement. 1641 Termes de la Ley 20 Amercement, most properly is a penalty assessed, by the Peeres or equals of the party amerced, for an offence done. 1757 Burke Abridgm. Eng. Hist. Wks. X. 397 The fines and amercements were another branch [of the king's revenue, A.D. 1070]. 1855 Singleton Virgil I. 284 Nor is 't alone the Teucrians that pay Amercements with their blood. |
b. fig.
| 1839 Bailey Festus xix. (1848) 208 Earth Was its amercement made, its prison flesh. |
† 3. Penal deprivation of anything. Obs.
| 1659 Milton Civ. Power Wks. 1851, 316 The amercement of their whole virilitie. |