gramercy, int. Obs. exc. arch.
(grəˈmɜːsɪ)
Forms: 4, 6 grand, graunt(e mercy, (4 grant merci, -y, gromercy, 4–5 gramarcy), -erci, 5 gray mercy, gremercy, gromersy, (-essye, -esty), 5–6 gramercye, (6 garmercye, grammercie), 6–7 gramercie, (7 g'rammercy, 7–8 gra'mercy, gran mercé), 4– gramercy. pl. 6 gram(m)ercies, -sies, 7 gramercyes, 8 gray mercies.
[a. OF. grant merci; grant great (see grand a.) + merci: see mercy.
The primary sense of merci was ‘reward, favour gained by merit’; hence grant merci originally meant ‘may God reward you greatly’: cf. God-a-mercy. Both grant merci and merci without the adj. came to be used interjectionally = ‘thanks’, in which use the shorter form survives in mod.Fr.]
1. = Thanks; thank you. Formerly also in pl. Const. for, † of.
| 13.. Coer de L. 1371 Quod the kyng: ‘Frendes, gromercy!’ c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 145 Philip..Said often grant mercy. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 317 She saith: Graunt mercy, leve sir. a 1400 Octouian 1291 Graunt marcy, my lord the kyng. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camd.) lii, The king..bede, ‘Gromersy, gentulle knyȝte!’ a 1440 Sir Degrev. 785 ‘Maydame’, sche seid, ‘gramercy Of thi gret cortesy’. ? 1507 Communyc. (W. de W.) C iij, Graunte mercy Iesu croppe and rote Of al frensshypp. 1563 Foxe A. & M. 734/1 Winchester, Winchester, grand mercy for your wine. c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon iii. 88 Gramercies Peggy look for me ere long. 1594 True Trag. Rich. III, 67 Richmond, gramercies for thy kinde good newes. 1598–9 Forde Parismus i. (1661) 187 Gramercies, quoth he, for thy good will. 1607 Shakes. Timon ii. ii. 69 Gramercies good Foole: How does your Mistris? 1691 Ray Creation ii. (1704) 438 Grammercy, Socrates, that is good Counsel indeed. 1820 Scott Ivanhoe vi, Gramercy for thy caution. 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. ii. Nell Cook, Gramercy for thy benison! |
† b. Indirectly, with dat. of agent or instrument (later with to): = Thanks to; by the instrumentality of. So, proverbially, gramercy horse! (app. an allusion to the story quoted s.v. God-a-mercy). Obs.
| 1426 Paston Lett. No. 7 I. 26 Evere gremercy God, and ye. c 1450 Lonelich Grail lii. 757 Gromesty God and that good Man. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. iv. vii 248 To the whiche thing god gramercy the kynge of fraunce..hathe wel aduysed. 1591 Harington Orl. Fur. xxxvi. liv, Though the shield brake not, gramercy charme. c 1640 Wilson Inconstant Ladie ii. iv. (1814) 45 Hee's gon. Gramercy, horse! 1713 Rowe Lady Jane Grey iii. i. (1720) 43 They have confin'd me long, Gra'mercy to their Goodness, Pris'ner here. a 1734 North Exam. i. ii. §140 Gran Mercé to his Authors the Libellers of that Time. |
2. ? Used as an exclamation of surprise or sudden feeling; = ‘mercy on us!’
Johnson, 1755, who regards the word as shortened from grant me mercy, gives this as the only application of the word; but both his examples belong to sense 1. The quots. from Heywood and Ross seem to show that the word was sometimes actually used as Johnson says; but the instances in 19th c. may be merely based on his explanation.
| 1607 Heywood Wom. killed w. Kindnesse (1617) A 3 b, Gramercies brother, wrought her too't already. 1624 ― Captives iv. i. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, Gramercyes, I in truth much suffered for thee, Knowing how rashly thou exposd thyself To such a turbulent sea. 1768 Ross Helenore 24 Gray-mercies she replies, but I maun gang. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mariner 111, Gramercy! they for joy did grin. 1843 Lytton Last Barons i. v, Gramercy, it seems that there is nothing which better stirs a man's appetite than a sick bed. |
† 3. quasi-n. The salutation ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’. Hence in phrases, as worth gramercy, worth giving thanks for, of some value or importance. no gramercy, no occasion for deserving thanks; no special merit; similarly, what gramercy? for gramercy: for a ‘thank-you’; for nothing or next to nothing; gratis. (Cf. God-a-mercy 2.) Obs.
| c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) iv. 410 Is this theire gramercy? is this theire reward? 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV (1809) 530 The Kyng..sendeth to you great gramercies. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Mark viii. 57 Suche a one as loketh for summe thankes or gramercies. 1549 Coverdale Erasm. Par. Peter 7 But what garmercye were it, yf you suffre whan you are buffetted for naughtye doinges? 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utop. (Arb.) 121 Payinge very lytle for them, yea mooste commonlye gettynge them for gramercye. 1572 Gascoigne 100 Flowers 274 The Ladies all saluted him & he gaue them the gramercy. 1576 Holinshed Chron. III. 56 Rendering to him and his armie a thousand gramersies. 1578 Timme Caluine on Gen. 279 It was no gramercie to him, that his wife's honesty was not put in hazard. 1579–80 North Plutarch (1676) 966 He made Corn to be distributed to the People at a very mean price to some, and for gramercy to the poor. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxix. (1887) 219 Where desire to do good, and good for gramercie be the true ends of most honour. a 1610 Healey Epictetus' Man. xvii. (1636) 21 Nothing is gotten for gramercy. 1624 Bp. R. Montagu Gagg 153 Workes of compulsion are not worth Gramercy. 1641 Milton Animadv. ii. Wks. 1738 I. 84 So have we our several Psalms for several occasions, without gramercy to your Liturgy. 1641 Brome Joviall Crew iv. ii, No Ladies live such lives. Mer. Some few, upon necessity, perhaps, But that's not worth g'rammercy. 1643 Sir T. Browne Relig. Med. 37, I cannot relate the history of my life..with a..bare gramercy to my starres. 1644 Milton Areop. (Arb) 51 What grammercy to be sober, just, or continent? a 1670 Hacket Abp. Williams i. (1692) 174 The Duke returned him no Gra-mercy, being resolute to out-face Envy. |