misericord
/mɪˈzɛrɪkɔːd
/noun
1A ledge projecting from the underside of a hinged seat in a choir stall which, when the seat is turned up, gives support to someone standing.The sixty-two misericords or priests' seats, carved with everything from lions to scenes of everyday life, are believed to be of 1390....
- Weak light filters in through stained glass and creates deep shadows among the pews and misericords.
- These appear in the stained glass windows, stone column capitals, decorated ends of pews, or even the misericords carved on the bottom of hinged church seats.
2 historical An apartment in a monastery in which some relaxations of the monastic rule were permitted.
3 historical A small dagger used to deliver a death stroke to a wounded enemy.
Origin
Middle English (denoting pity): from Old French misericorde, from Latin misericordia, from misericors 'compassionate', from the stem of misereri 'to pity' + cor, cord- 'heart'.