[uh-murs] 
| 1. | to punish by imposing a fine not fixed by statute. |
| 2. | to punish by inflicting any discretionary or arbitrary penalty. |
| a·merce (ə-mûrs') tr.v. a·merced, a·merc·ing, a·merc·es
[Middle English amercen, from Anglo-Norman amercier, from à merci, at the mercy of : à, to (from Latin ad; see ad-) + merci, mercy (from Latin mercēs, wages).] a·merce'a·ble adj., a·merce'ment n. |
amercement
in English law, an arbitrary financial penalty, formerly imposed on an offender by his peers or at the discretion of the court or the lord. Although the word has become practically synonymous with "fine," there is a distinction in that fines are fixed by statute, whereas amercements are decided by the court. Originally, an amercement represented a commutation of a sentence that required the forfeiture of goods, while a fine was an arrangement agreed upon between the judge and the prisoner to avoid imprisonment. Magna Carta (1215) attempted to regulate the assessment of amercements.
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