Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of amercing, or the state of being amerced. In law, a pecuniary penalty inflicted on an offender at the discretion of the court.
- noun Also written
amerciament .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The infliction of a penalty at the discretion of the court; also, a mulct or penalty thus imposed. It differs from a
fine , in that the latter is, or was originally, a fixed and certain sum prescribed by statute for an offense; but an amercement is arbitrary. Hence, the act or practice of affeering. [Seeaffeer .] - noun a penalty imposed on an officer for a misdemeanor in his office.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A non-
statutory monetary penalty orforfeiture .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun money extracted as a penalty
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Richard Walerond is to make two suits yearly, one at 'La Hockeday,' [10] and one at Michaelmas amercement, to consist of one sextary of wine of the value of sixpence and not more.
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts Rosalind Northcote
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Dispossess unlawfully or unjustly; oust. emercement (amercement)
The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference Joseph Triemens
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This was disallowed by ordinance on pain of amercement, and bakers were admonished, in lieu of such payments, to increase the size of the loaf "to the profit of the public."
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Sir Neville justice, he could fight like a demon; had abandoned the royal cause when it was hopeless, and, by betraying his sovereign, escaped the usual fate and amercement of malcontent -- the Protector remarking, with a certain solemn humour, "that Sir Neville was an instrument in the hand of the Lord, but that Satan had a share in him, which doubtless he would not fail to claim in due time."
Kate Coventry An Autobiography G. J. Whyte-Melville
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Corporal punishment, imprisonment, and amercement resulted; of frequent occurrence were those fearful scenes which culminated in riots such as those of Ilocos in 1807 and
The Philippine Islands John Foreman
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There was an unjust tax of a few pence, with the chance of amercement by a single judge without a jury; but by no provision of this act was the personal liberty of any man assailed.
American Eloquence, Volume 2 Studies In American Political History (1896) Various 1899
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Refusing to do so, he was thereupon summoned to come into the Police Court on the glorious Fourth to show cause why he ought not to pay the amercement.
William Lloyd Garrison Grimke, Archibald H 1891
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Refusing to do so, he was thereupon summoned to come into the Police Court on the glorious Fourth to show cause why he ought not to pay the amercement.
William Lloyd Garrison The Abolitionist Archibald Henry Grimk�� 1889
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Council excepting innocent non-combatants and their official protector from confiscation or amercement.
The Crusade of the Excelsior Bret Harte 1869
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Page 110 such offense by said ordinance; and no amercement, fine, penalty, forfeiture, escheat, bond, or recognizance, accruing or enuring, in whole or in part, to the State of
knitandpurl commented on the word amercement
""Indeed not, my lord." Sir Rowley seemed affronted by the idea. "Or not more than usual. But if the lady is to conduct an unofficial inquest, it might subject both town and priory to punitive taxes—I don't say it will, but the regular amercements, confiscations of goods, et cetera might apply.""
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin, p 69 of the Berkley paperback edition
February 25, 2012