| 释义 |
amerce, v.|əˈmɜːs|
Also 4–5 amercy, 5 -sy, 5–6 amercie, 6 amearse, 8 ammerce.
[orig. amercy, a. AFr. amerci-er (not in continental Fr.), f. à to, at + merci:—L. mercēdem, which passed through the senses of ‘wages, remuneration, a gift in recompense, a gift generally, a gift offered gratuitously (already in Gregory the Great), a present, a favour, grace, mercy.’ From the phr. estre à merci to be at the mercy of any one, was formed estre amercié, at first always passive (as in Magna Carta), and then the active amercier (in Britton c 1292). Britton has estre en nostre merci synonymous with estre amercié. ‘To be amerced’ was thus orig. to be at the mercy of any one as to amount of fine, to ‘come in his will,’ be fined at his pleasure; hence the active ‘to amerce,’ to fine arbitrarily or according to one's own estimate. The -y was lost through being viewed as inflexional, or through phonetic identity of amercied, -id, -ed.
1215Magna Carta xiv, Liber homo non amercietur pro paruo delicto nisi secundum modum delicti, et pro magno delicto amercietur secundum magnitudinem delicti, saluo contenemento suo. French version: Frans hom ne seit amerciez pour petit forfet, fors solon la maniere del forfait, et pour le grant forfait seit amerciez solonc la grandesce del forfait sauf son contenement. c1292Britton i. vii, A chescun murdre soit le hundred, ou le murdre sera trové fet, en nostre merci; et si le fet serra trove en deus hundrez, si soint ambideus amerciez. (Let the hundred where the murder shall have been done be ‘amercied’ [in our mercy]; and if the deed shall be found to have been done in two hundreds, let them both be ‘amercied.’) Ibid. i. iii. 7 Qe nul ne soit si hardi de amercier nul homme. ]
1. trans. To punish by an arbitrary fine; to fine, mulct (a person).
a. Of legal fines.
c1375Wyclif Antecrist 143 To amercy þe cely puple wiþouten any mercy. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. vi. 40 Þowgh ȝe mowe amercy hem · late mercy be taxoure. 1444Paston Lett. 42 I. 55, I should be amercied in the Kyngges Courte. c1469Earl of Oxford ibid. 597 II. 337 Shall at the said court be amersid. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §148 To be amerced in y⊇ courte or elles to make hym amendes or bothe. 1666Fuller Hist. Camb. 84 The University have power to punish and amerce all forestallers, regraters, &c. 1768Blackstone Comm. I. 179 For this offence the borough was amerced. 1863Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. ii. x. 533 Liable to be amerced to the Crown, or fined for his delay of justice.
b. fig. and loosely, To exact something from, make exactions on; to punish.
c1570Thynne Pride & Lowl. 60 The vintener amercing them so deepe, That..Their wife and children oft for hunger weepe. 1652Evelyn Diary (1827) IV. 4 For which presumption if you think fit to amerce me. 1821Byron Cain iii. i, Thou shalt be amerced for sins unknown.
2. With the penalty or amount expressed;
a. as a second object (obj. of value): To fine so much.
1500Arnold Chron. (1811) 1 That the Sherefs be not amercyed ouer xx pond. 1633G. Herbert Humilitie iv. in Temple 62 They..amerc'd them, double gifts to bring at the next Session-day. 1725Bailey tr. Erasm. Colloq. 317 I'll be content to be amerc'd a Supper. 1762Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxv. 779 The person, in whose house the conventicle met, was amerced a like sum.
b. introduced by in (at obs.): To fine in.
1611Bible Deut. xxii. 19 They shall amearse him [Wyclif, Genev. condemne] in an hundred shekels of siluer. 1648Prynne Plea for Lords 8 The Barony..shall be amerced at an hundred markes. 1783Martyn Geog. Mag. II. 240 He ammerced the inhabitants in the sum of twelve hundred thousand crowns. 1817Scott Rob Roy (1855) 190 He would amerce him in half his wages.
c. introduced by with (by rare): To punish with.
1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iii. i. 195 Ile Amerce you with so strong a fine. 1594Spenser Sonnet lxx, Shall be by him amearst with penance dew. 1648Milton Tenure Kings (1650) 55 Amerce him with the loss of his Kingdom. 1850Blackie æschylus II. 111, I shall be Amerced with bitter loss. 1855Milman Lat. Chr. (1864) V. ix. iv. 248 Any clerk..is to be amerced by the loss of his benefices and his order.
d. introduced by of: To mulct, deprive of.
1667Milton P.L. i. 604 Millions of spirits for his fault amerced Of Heaven. 1791Cowper Iliad xvi. 68 Amerce me of my well-earn'd recompense. 1844Ld. Cockburn Jrnl. II. 61 St. Andrews, though amerced..of its ancient greatness. |