Plural of mercy; acts of compassion and forgiveness, or instances of being spared from suffering.
From Old French 'merci' and Latin 'merces' meaning reward or wages. Over time it evolved to mean compassion and forgiveness, particularly in Christian contexts, and the plural '-ies' allows for multiple instances of merciful acts.
The word 'mercy' originally meant something you earned or were rewarded with, but it evolved to mean the opposite—compassion that's freely given rather than earned—showing how language captures our changing morality!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.