mercé

See also: merce, mérce, mercê, mērce, mērcē, and Mercè

Catalan edit

Noun edit

mercé f (plural mercés)

(Valencia) Alternative spelling of mercè

Galician edit

Alternative forms edit

mercê (reintegrationist)

Etymology edit

From Old Galician-Portuguese mercee (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin mercēdem, accusative of mercēs (“wages, fee, price”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): [meɾˈθe], (western) [meɾˈse]

Noun edit

mercé m (plural mercés)

mercy
gift, reward
Synonyms: don, graza

Related terms edit

References edit

“mercee” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
“mercee” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
“mercé” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
“mercé” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
“mercé” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Italian edit

Etymology edit

Clipping of mercede. Doublet of mersì.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /merˈt͡ʃe/^*
Rhymes: -e
Hyphenation: mer‧cé

Noun edit

mercé f (invariable)

(archaic) recompense
Synonyms: mercede, premio, ricompensa
- early-mid 1310s–mid 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XX”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory]‎^[1], lines 37–39; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[2], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
  Non fia sanza mercé la tua parola,
  s’io ritorno a compiér lo cammin corto
  di quella vita ch’al termine vola […]
  Not without recompense shall be thy word, if I return to finish the short journey of that life which is flying to its end."
(archaic, rare) merit
Synonyms: mercede, merito
(dated) help, mercy, grace
Synonyms: aiuto, grazia, pietà

mercé di ― by grace of

essere alla mercé di qualcuno ― to be at someone's mercy
- c. 1316–1321, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XV”, in Paradiso [Heaven]‎^[3], lines 49, 52–54; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[4], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
  […] Grato e lontano digiuno,
  […]
  solvuto hai, figlio, dentro a questo lume
  in ch’io ti parlo, mercé di colei
  ch’a l’alto volo ti vestì le piume.
  Hunger long and grateful you have appeased, my son, within this light in which I speak to you, by grace of her who to this lofty flight with plumage clothed you.
- 1349–1353, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata decima – Novella quarta”, in Decameron; republished as Aldo Francesco Massera, editor, Il Decameron‎^[5], Bari: Laterza, 1927:
  Voi, la vostra mercé, avete onorato il mio convito, ed io voglio onorar voi alla persesca, mostrandovi la piú cara cosa che io abbia nel mondo o che io debba aver mai.
  You, [by] your grace, have honored my banquet, and I wish to honor you in the Persian way, by showing you what I hold most dear in this world and ever will.
(dated) thanks to, by way of
- 1336–1374, Francesco Petrarca, “CXXVIII — Italia mia, benché ’l parlar sia indarno”, in Il Canzoniere, lines 49–54; republished as Daniele Ponchiroli, editor, Turin: publ. Giulio Einaudi, 1964:
  Cesare taccio che per ogni piaggia
  fece l’erbe sanguigne
  di lor vene, ove ’l nostro ferro mise.
  Or par, non so per che stelle maligne,
  che ’l cielo in odio n’aggia:
  vostra mercé […]
  I’ll say nothing of Caesar who painted the grass crimson with their blood, where he raised the sword. Now it seems, no one knows by what evil star, heaven hates us: all thanks to you
- 1516–1532, Ludovico Ariosto, “Canto 7”, in Orlando furioso, stanza 35; republished as Santorre Debenedetti, editor, Bari: Laterza, 1928:
  […] senza impedimento
  passa tra cavallieri e tra pedoni,
  mercé all’annel che fuor d’ogni uman uso
  la fa sparir quando l’è in bocca chiuso.
  She passes without obstacles through the knights and soldiers, thanks to the ring, that, in a non-human way, makes her disappear when kept in the mouth
(dated) a stroke of luck, a fortunate event
fu gran mercé se poté aver salva la vita ― he was very lucky to have his life spared (literally, “it was great luck if he could have his life spared”)

Interjection edit

mercé (archaic)

have mercy!
Synonym: pietà!
please
Synonym: per favore

mercé, datemi ascolto ― please, listen to me
thanks, thank you
Synonym: grazie
- 1478, Luigi Pulci, “Canto nono [Ninth Canto]”, in Morgante‎^[6], Felice Le Monnier, published 1855, page 164:
  Al gallo parve che fussi un bel giuoco:
  Gran mercè, disse, che insegnato m’hai;
  e chiuse gli occhi e cominciò a cantare,
  perchè la volpe lo stessi ascoltare.
  The rooster thought it was a fine game. "Many thanks, he said, "for you have taught me". He closed his eyes and started singing, so that the fox could listen to him.