SYLLABICATION: mer·cy PRONUNCIATION: AUDIO: mûrs NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. mer·cies 1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency. 2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy. 3. Something for which to be thankful; a blessing: It was a mercy that no one was hurt. 4. Alleviation of distress; relief: Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy. IDIOM: at the mercy of Without any protection against; helpless before: drifting in an open boat, at the mercy of the elements. ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French merci, from Medieval Latin mercs, from Latin, reward. SYNONYMS: mercy, leniency, lenity, clemency, charity