Also 5 amerciment, amercyment. [a. [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).
1513. More, Rich. III. (1557), 62/1. Amercements turned into fines, fines into ransomes.
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., xv. (1539), 33. Most commonly by fynes and mercimentes.
1641. Milton, Ch. Govt., II. iii. (1851), 159. [The church] wanting the beggarly help of halings and amercements in the use of her powerful Keies.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 275. Liable to an amercement from the crown for raising a false accusation.
1849. Grote, Greece, V. II. xliii. 299. The defeat, the humiliation, and the amercement of the Carthaginians.
2. The mulct or fine so inflicted.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pers. 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].
1483. Plumpton Corr., 43. Yt is necessary to aske, distreyne, and levie the sayd amerciments.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong., Amende, an amercement, a fine.
1591. Percivall, Span. Dict., Multa, an amercement.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 20. Amercement, most properly is a penalty assessed, by the Peeres or equals of the party amerced, for an offence done.
1757. Burke, Abridgm. Eng. Hist., Wks. X. 397. The fines and amercements were another branch [of the king’s revenue, A. D. 1070].
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 284. Nor is ’t alone the Teucrians that pay Amercements with their blood.
b. fig.
1839. Bailey, Festus, xix. (1848), 208. Earth Was its amercement made, its prison flesh.
† 3. Penal deprivation of anything. Obs.
1659. Milton, Civ. Power, Wks. 1851, 316. The amercement of their whole virilitie.
