clemency

English

WOTD – 19 August 2012

Etymology

From Middle English clemency, clemencie, from Latin clēmentia.

Gradually eclipsed Middle English clemence, from Old French clemence, from the same Latin origin.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈklɛ.mən.si/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈklɛ.mən.si/, /ˈklɛ.mənt.si/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

clemency (countable and uncountable, plural clemencies)

1. The gentle or kind exercise of power; leniency, mercy; compassion in judging or punishing.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 267, column 2:

     For vs, and for our Tragedie, / Heere stooping to your Clemencie: / We begge your hearing Patientlie.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 24:4:

     Notwithstanding, that I be not farther tedious vnto thee, I pray thee, that thou wouldest heare vs of thy clemencie a few words.

   • 2010 May 4, Priyamvada Gopal, “Executing Mumbai gunman is not the answer”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-13:

     A death sentence for Kasab, seen to represent Pakistan, will be widely supported in a frenzy of righteous retribution. Presidential clemency is politically improbable.

2. (law) A pardon, commutation, or similar reduction, removal, or postponement of legal penalties by an executive officer of a state.
   • 2000, Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, edited by Frank D. Wagner, Ohio Adult Parole Authority v. Woodard, 523 U.S. 272 (1998) (United States Reports; 523)‎^[2] (judicial opinion), Washington: United States Government Printing Office, →ISBN, Opinion of O'Connor, J., page 289:

     Judicial intervention might, for example, be warranted in the face of a scheme whereby a state official flipped a coin to determine whether to grant clemency, or in a case where the State arbitrarily denied a prisoner any access to its clemency process.

3. (now rare) Mildness of weather.
   • 1748, Edward Chamberlayne, chapter IV, in Magnae Britanniae notitia: or, the present state of Great Britain. With diverse reflections upon the ancient state thereof, London: Printed for S. Birt, T. Longman, T. Shewel, […] , →OCLC, page 31:

     Now of all theſe Things there is ſuch a conſtant Continuance, by reaſon of the Clemency of the Climate, that ſcarce the leaſt Famine, which frequenteth other Countries, hath been felt in England theſe 400 Years.

   • 1750 April 14 (Gregorian calendar), Samuel Johnson, “No. 5. Tuesday, April 3. 1750.”, in The Rambler, 2nd edition, volume I, Edinburgh: […] Sands, Murray, and Cochran; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J. Yair, […], published 1751, →OCLC, page 36:

     The variegated verdure of the fields and woods, the ſucceſſion of grateful odours, the voice of pleaſure pouring out its notes on every ſide, with the gladneſs apparently conceived by every animal, from the growth of his food, and the clemency of the weather, throw over the whole earth an air of gaiety, ſigniſicantly expreſſed by the ſmile of nature.

   • 1853 January, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “The Long Vacation”, in Villette. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 316:

     It rained still, and blew; but with more clemency, I thought, than it had poured and raged all day.

Antonyms

• cruelty

Related terms

• clemence
• clement

Translations

leniency, mercy

• Armenian: գթություն (hy) (gtʻutʻyun), գթասրտություն (hy) (gtʻasrtutʻyun), մեղմություն (hy) (meġmutʻyun)
• Dutch: mildheid (nl) f, genade (nl) f, clementie (nl) f
• Finnish: lempeys (fi), armo (fi)
• French: clémence (fr) f
• Georgian: შეწყალება (šec̣q̇aleba), პატიება (ṗaṭieba), მოწყალება (moc̣q̇aleba), ლმობიერება (lmobiereba)
• German: Milde (de) f, Barmherzigkeit (de) f, Güte (de) f, Gütigkeit (de) f
• Italian: clemenza (it) f
• Latin: clēmentia f
• Maori: whakaaro atawhai, ngākau atawhai
• Ngazidja Comorian: rehema class 9
• Portuguese: clemência (pt) f
• Romanian: clemență (ro) f, îndurare (ro) f, bunătate (ro) f
• Russian: милосе́рдие (ru) n (milosérdije), снисходи́тельность (ru) f (snisxodítelʹnostʹ), поми́лование (ru) n (pomílovanije) (pardon), (mercy) поща́да (ru) f (poščáda)
• Serbo-Croatian: благост f, попустљивост f
• Spanish: clemencia (es) f
• Swedish: mildhet (sv) c
• Uzbek: marhamat (uz), rahmdillik (uz), mehr (uz), rahm (uz), shafqat (uz)

forgiveness or compassion

• Bulgarian: милосърдие (bg) n (milosǎrdie)
• Dutch: clementie (nl)
• French: compassion (fr), pitié (fr), miséricorde (fr), commisération (fr)
• German: Nachsicht (de) f, Milde (de) f, Erbarmen (de) n
• Latvian: piedošana f
• Russian: милосе́рдие (ru) n (milosérdije), снисходи́тельность (ru) f (snisxodítelʹnostʹ)
• Spanish: compasión (es), piedad (es), misericordia (es), lástima (es), conmiseración (es)

moderation of the severity of a punishment

• Bulgarian: смекчаване (bg) n (smekčavane)
• French: clémence (fr) f
• German: Milde (de) f, Mildheit n
• Latvian: apžēlošana f
• Russian: поми́лование (ru) n (pomílovanije)
• Slovene: pomilostitev f
• Spanish: clemencia (es) f

legal: pardon, commutation or similar reduction, removal, or postponement of legal penalties

• Finnish: rangaistuksen lievennys
• German: Gnade (de) f, Begnadigung (de) f

mildness of weather

• Armenian: մեղմություն (hy) (meġmutʻyun)
• Finnish: lauhkeus (fi), leppeys (fi)
• German: Milde (de) f, Mildheit f
• Romanian: blândețe (ro) f
• Russian: мя́гкость (ru) f (mjáxkostʹ)