Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Relaxation of monastic rules, as a dispensation from fasting.
- noun The room in a monastery used by monks who have been granted such a dispensation.
- noun A bracket attached to the underside of a hinged seat in a church stall on which a standing person may lean.
- noun A narrow dagger used in medieval times to deliver the death stroke to a seriously wounded knight.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun relaxation of monastic rules.
- noun The room in a
monastery formonks granted such relaxation. - noun a
subsellium . - noun a
medieval dagger , used for the mercy stroke to a woundedfoe .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Did that order of misericord blades come in, Thomas?
Clockwork Angel Cassandra Clare 2010
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“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.”
The Monastery 2008
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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.
Archive 2008-03-01 The Medieval Club of New York 2008
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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.
Archive 2006-05-01 Jonathan 2006
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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.
Alice's adventures started here... Jonathan 2006
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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.
In Memory of Elaine Block Nicola Masciandaro 2008
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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 May, Julian 2003
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“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 Willis, Connie 1997
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A misericord carved with one of the Seven Works of Mercy.
To Say Nothing of the Dog Willis, Connie 1997
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The taller man held his falchion and a second weapon now, a long, dark-bladed misericord as main
Night Arrant Gygax, Gary 1987
treeseed commented on the word misericord
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
February 24, 2008
hernesheir commented on the word misericord
Wonderful visuals.
November 1, 2011
fbharjo commented on the word misericord
It all hinges on relaxing!
November 2, 2011
bilby commented on the word misericord
Is this a dagger I see before me?
November 2, 2011
MaryW commented on the word misericord
Kate Atkinson, Case Histories (New York: Little Brown & Co., 2004), p. 138.May 30, 2016