Definition of "mercy" []

• Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency. (noun)
• A disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy. (noun)
• Something for which to be thankful; a blessing: It was a mercy that no one was hurt. (noun)
• Alleviation of distress; relief: Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy. (noun)
• At the mercy of Without any protection against; helpless before: drifting in an open boat, at the mercy of the elements. (idiom)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "-- It may not be in every one's power to shew mercy; but every man may, and every good man does _love mercy_."
• "Again, my heart pleaded for justice and mercy; for _justice_ to all; and for _mercy_ to the needy and helpless."
• "Providence in mercy permits the union of families long to remain unbroken; and, at length, in _mercy_ too -- whatever the suggestions of despondency -- dissolves it."