| 释义 |
amercement|əˈmɜːsmənt|
Also 5 amerciment, amercyment.
[a. AFr. amerciment, n. of action f. amercier; see amerce. Often aphet. in 16th c. to merciment, and in 15th varied with amerciament after med.L.]
1. The infliction of a penalty left to the ‘mercy’ of the inflicter; hence the imposition of an arbitrary mulct or fine (originally lighter in amount than fines fixed for specific offences).
1513More Rich. III (1557) 62/1 Amercements turned into fines, fines into ransomes. 1523Fitzherb. Surv. xv. (1539) 33 Most commonly by fynes and mercimentes. 1641Milton Ch. Govt. ii. iii. (1851) 159 [The church] wanting the beggarly help of halings and amercements in the use of her powerful Keies. 1768Blackstone Comm. III. 275 Liable to an amercement from the crown for raising a false accusation. 1849Grote Greece V. ii. xliii. 299 The defeat, the humiliation, and the amercement of the Carthaginians.
2. The mulct or fine so inflicted.
c1386Chaucer Pars. T. 678 Eek they taken of hire bonde men amercimentȝ [v.r. amercymentȝ, -cementis, -cementȝ, -sementes, -cymentes, -ciament] whiche myghten moore resonably ben cleped extorcions than amercimentȝ [mercymentȝ, -mentes]. 1483Plumpton Corr. 43 Yt is necessary to aske, distreyne, and levie the sayd amerciments. 1580Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong., Amende, an amercement, a fine. 1591Percivall Span. Dict., Multa, an amercement. 1641Termes de la Ley 20 Amercement, most properly is a penalty assessed, by the Peeres or equals of the party amerced, for an offence done. 1757Burke Abridgm. Eng. Hist. Wks. X. 397 The fines and amercements were another branch [of the king's revenue, A.D. 1070]. 1855Singleton Virgil I. 284 Nor is 't alone the Teucrians that pay Amercements with their blood.
b. fig.
1839Bailey Festus xix. (1848) 208 Earth Was its amercement made, its prison flesh.
†3. Penal deprivation of anything. Obs.
1659Milton Civ. Power Wks. 1851, 316 The amercement of their whole virilitie. |