Amerce

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈmɝs/

Definitions

1. To impose a financial penalty on an individual as a consequence for violating a law or regulation
2. To inflict a monetary fine on someone as a means of punishment for an infringement or misdeed
3. To exact a monetary penalty from someone as punishment for breaking a rule

Etymology: The verb "amerce" was built from two French words that once sat side by side: "a," meaning "at," and "merci," meaning "mercy." Its earliest English form came from Anglo-Norman "amercier," so the word carried the sense of placing someone at another's mercy. In practice, that mercy was a payment. A person who had broken a rule was left to the judgment of a lord or court, who then set a fine. The word's history shows that sense sharpening over time. Early uses referred to a penalty fixed at the discretion of the court rather than by a set statute, which is why the fine was described as depending on mercy. The root "merci" also gave English "mercy" itself, so "amerce" and "mercy" are close relatives that took very different paths, one toward punishment and one toward forgiveness.

Synonyms: fine, penalize, punish