A city in California's Central Valley, or more generally from Spanish meaning 'mercy' or 'grace.' Also appears in various place names throughout Spanish-speaking regions.
From Spanish 'merced' meaning 'mercy' or 'grace,' from Latin 'merces' meaning 'reward' or 'wages.' Many places named Merced were originally Spanish colonial grants or religious foundations invoking divine mercy.
The University of California, Merced, is the newest campus in the UC system, opening in 2005 in a city whose name means 'mercy.' This reflects the Spanish colonial tradition of naming settlements after religious concepts, hoping to invoke divine protection for new communities.
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