mercy

mer·cy  (mûrs)

n. pl. mer·cies

1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency.

2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy.

3. Something for which to be thankful; a blessing: It was a mercy that no one was hurt.

4. Alleviation of distress; relief: Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy.

Idiom:

at the mercy of

Without any protection against; helpless before: drifting in an open boat, at the mercy of the elements.

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[Middle English, from Old French merci, from Medieval Latin mercs, from Latin, reward.]

Synonyms: mercy, leniency, lenity, clemency, charity
These nouns mean humane and kind, sympathetic, or forgiving treatment of or disposition toward others. Mercy is compassionate forbearance: "We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves" George Eliot.
Leniency and lenity imply mildness, gentleness, and often a tendency to reduce punishment: "When you have gone too far to recede, do not sue [appeal] to me for leniency" Charles Dickens. "His Majesty gave many marks of his great lenity, often . . . endeavoring to extenuate your crimes" Jonathan Swift.
Clemency is mercy shown by someone with judicial authority: The judge believed in clemency for youthful offenders.
Charity is goodwill and benevolence in judging others: "But how shall we expect charity towards others, when we are uncharitable to ourselves?" Thomas Browne.

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mercy

Noun

pl -cies

1. compassionate treatment of or attitude towards an offender or enemy who is in one's power

2. the power to show mercy: they threw themselves on the King's mercy

3. a relieving or welcome occurrence or act: it was a mercy you turned up when you did

4. at the mercy of in the power of

Adjective

done or undertaken in an attempt to relieve suffering or bring help: a mercy mission [Latin merces recompense]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mercy - leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; "he threw himself on the mercy of the court" clemency, mercifulness lenience, leniency - lightening a penalty or excusing from a chore by judges or parents or teachers re-sentencing, commutation - (law) the reduction in severity of a punishment imposed by law free pardon, pardon, amnesty - the formal act of liberating someone quarter - clemency or mercy shown to a defeated opponent; "he surrendered but asked for quarter" reprieve, respite - the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
	2.	mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving; "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband" mercifulness humaneness - the quality of compassion or consideration for others (people or animals) compassion, pity - the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it forgivingness, kindness - tendency to be kind and forgiving lenience, leniency, lenity, mildness - mercifulness as a consequence of being lenient or tolerant
	3.	mercy - the feeling that motivates compassion mercifulness compassion, compassionateness - a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering forgiveness - compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
	4.	mercy - something for which to be thankful; "it was a mercy we got out alive" boon, blessing - a desirable state; "enjoy the blessings of peace"; "a spanking breeze is a boon to sailors"
	5.	mercy - alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed; "distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy" ministration, succor, succour, relief - assistance in time of difficulty; "the contributions provided some relief for the victims"

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mercy

noun 1. compassion, charity, pity, forgiveness, quarter, favour, grace, kindness, clemency, leniency, benevolence, forbearance << OPPOSITE cruelty

noun 2. blessing, relief, boon, godsend, piece of luck, benison (archaic) at the mercy of something or someone

3. defenceless against, subject to, open to, exposed to, vulnerable to, threatened by, susceptible to, prey to, an easy target for, naked before, unprotected against

4. in the power of, under the control of, in the clutches of, under the heel of

Translations

mercy [ˈməːsɪ] n → compasión f;

(REL) → misericordia;

at the mercy of → a la merced de

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mercy [ˈməːsɪ] n → pitié f, merci f;

(Rel) → miséricorde f;

to have mercy on sb → avoir pitié de qn;

at the mercy of → à la merci de

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mercy [ˈməːsɪ] n → Gnade f;

to have mercy on sb → Erbarmen mit jdm haben;

at the mercy of → ausgeliefert +dat

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mercy [ˈməːsɪ] n → pietà;

(REL) → misericordia;

to have mercy on sb → aver pietà di qn;

at the mercy of → alla mercè di