Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Relaxation of monastic rules, as a dispensation from fasting.
- n. The room in a monastery used by monks who have been granted such a dispensation.
- n. A bracket attached to the underside of a hinged seat in a church stall against which a standing person may lean. Also called miserere.
- n. A narrow dagger used in medieval times to deliver the death stroke to a seriously wounded knight.
Wiktionary
Etymologies
- Middle English, pity, from Old French, from Latin misericordia, from misericors, misericord-, merciful : miserērī, to feel pity; see miserere + cor, cord-, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Did that order of misericord blades come in, Thomas?”
““As we have,” he said, “in the course of this our toilsome journey, lost our meridian, 47 indulgence shall be given to those of our attendants who shall, from very weariness, be unable to attend the duty at prime, 48 and this by way of misericord or indulgentia.””
“For those who didn't know her, Elaine was an amazing woman, who probably knew every misericord and choir stall in Western Europe and had photographed all of them.”
“This seat (or misericord), made for the clergy to rest on during services, includes a carving of a griffin and a rabbit who is trying to escape down a hole.”
“In her right hand was a rapier, and in the left a misericord, one of the thin elongated daggers used by plate-armored combatants.”
Conqueror's Moon
““Just tell me one thing,” I said, sliding the misericord out and handing it over to two first-year students.”
To Say Nothing of the Dog
“A misericord carved with one of the Seven Works of Mercy.”
To Say Nothing of the Dog
“The taller man held his falchion and a second weapon now, a long, dark-bladed misericord as main”
Night Arrant
“He recoiled when he saw Sir Roger's glaive and misericord.”
The High Crusade
“He rummaged in his saddlebags and, besides some homely equipment like a jar of oil, turned up an extra misericord.”
Three Hearts and Three Lions
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘misericord’.
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Visuals
A list of words which yield surprising, beautiful, amusing, or otherwise noteworthy images here on Wordnik.
photochrom, fufluns, thank you, cool l..., postcard, picture postcard, cricket, physiological ill..., Gakuryū Ishii, ametropia, One Froggy Evening, rhodopsin, Santiago Calatrava and 624 more...
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Collected Words - List 2
I've been saving these words FOR YEARS. Now, I've found Wordie
gasconade, zaccheus, spoor, precentor, bombazine, otiose, khamsin, bruited, viva voce, whilom, lenitive, ebullition and 244 more...
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Cords
cord, cords, spinal cord, corduroy, accord, record, accordion, recorder, cord of wood, cordwood, cordial, cordless and 27 more...
bilby Is this a dagger I see before me? Nov 1, 2011
fbharjo It all hinges on relaxing! Nov 1, 2011
hernesheir Wonderful visuals. Nov 1, 2011
treeseed Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Variant(s): also mi·ser·i·corde \mə-ˈzer-ə-ˌkȯrd, -ˈser-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin misericordia seat in church, from Latin, mercy, from misericord-, misericors merciful, from misereri + cord-, cor heart — more at heart
Date: circa 1515
: a small projection on the bottom of a hinged church seat that gives support to a standing worshiper when the seat is turned up Feb 23, 2008