[miz-uh-rair-ee, -reer-ee] 
| 1. | the 51st Psalm, or the 50th in the Douay Bible. |
| 2. | a musical setting for it. |
| 3. | (lowercase ) a prayer or expression of appeal for mercy. |
| 4. | (lowercase) misericord (def. 3). |
| mis·e·re·re (mĭz'ə-râr'ē, -rîr'ē) n.
[Latin miserēre, have mercy, the first word of the psalm, imperative sing. of miserērī, to feel pity, from miser, wretched.] |
| mis·er·i·cord or mis·er·i·corde (mĭz'ər-ĭ-kôrd', mĭ-zěr'-) n.
[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.] Word History: A dagger, a support for someone who is standing, and a special monastic apartment share the same name because, oddly enough, they are all examples of mercy. The word misericord goes back to Latin misericordia, "mercy," derived from misericors, "merciful," which is in turn derived from miserērī, "to pity," and cor, "heart." In Medieval Latin the word misericordia denoted various merciful things, and these senses were borrowed into English. Misericordia referred to an apartment in a monastery where certain relaxations of the monastic rule were allowed, especially those involving food and drink. The word also designated a projection on the underside of a hinged seat in a choir stall against which a standing person could lean, no doubt a merciful thing during long services. Finally, misericordia was used for a dagger with which the death stroke was administered to a seriously wounded knight. |