n. 1. a. Relaxation of monastic rules, as a dispensation from fasting. b. The room in a monastery used by monks who have been granted such a dispensation. 2. A bracket attached to the underside of a hinged seat in a church stall on which a standing person may lean. Also called miserere. 3. A narrow dagger used in medieval times to deliver the death stroke to a seriously wounded knight. [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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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