Etymology

amercement

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Today it means: A non-statutory monetary penalty or forfeiture, usually applied at the discretion of a court. Full definition →

Middle English amercement ← Anglo-Norman amercier ← Old French à merci
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromà merci
  2. Anglo-Norman · derived fromamercier
  3. Middle English · inherited fromamercement
  4. English todayamercement

From Middle English amercement, from Anglo-Norman amercier + -ment, from Old French à merci. Also from Medieval Latin amerciamentum, from amerciari + -amentum, learned Latinization of Anglo-Norman amerciament, amercement, amerciment. Equivalent to amerce + -ment.

Words from the same roots

Anglo-Normanamercier all →

amerce

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.