clemency

English

WOTD – 19 August 2012

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin clēmentia.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Noun

clemency (countable and uncountable, plural clemencies)

1. The gentle or kind exercise of power; leniency, mercy; compassion in judging or punishing.
   • 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet:

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

   • 2010, Priyamvada Gopal, The Guardian, 4 May 2010:

     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.
3. (now rare) Mildness of weather.

Related terms

• 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
• Italian: clemenza (it) f
• Latin: clēmentia f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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 c
• Uzbek: marhamat (uz), rahmdillik (uz), mehr (uz), rahm (uz), shafqat (uz)

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

• Finnish: rangaistuksen lievennys
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

mildness of weather

• Armenian: մեղմություն (hy) (meġmutʻyun)
• Finnish: lauhkeus (fi), leppeys (fi)
• German: Milde (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: blândețe (ro) f
• Russian: мя́гкость (ru) f (mjáxkostʹ)