different between misericord vs miserere

English

Etymology

From 1200–50, from Middle English misericorde (“an act of clemency”) from Old French, from Latin misericordia (“pity”).

Noun

misericord (countable and uncountable, plural misericords)

1. Relaxation of monastic rules.
2. The room in a monastery for monks granted such relaxation.
3. A ledge, sometimes ornately carved, attached to a folding church seat to provide support for a person standing for long periods; a subsellium.
   • 1969, M. D. Anderson, The Iconography of British Misericords, G. L. Remnant, A Catalogue of Misericords in Great Britain, page xxiii,

     Misericords are a very humble form of medieval art and it is unlikely that the most distinguished carvers of any period were employed in making them, except, perhaps, during their apprentice years.

   • 1999, Mariko Miyazaki, Misericord Owls and Medieval Anti-semitism, Debra Hassig, Debra Higgs Strickland (editors), The Mark of the Beast: The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature, page 23,

     In this essay I will focus primarily on the subject of the owl in order to illustrate how bestiary imagery was modified and developed in late medieval public church decoration, primarily in the form of the sculpted choir-seats known as misericords. The owl provides a good case study of this process as it was an especially popular misericord motif and its artistic and literary characterizations are largely informed by—but not limited to—the bestiaries.

   • 2007, F. E. Howard, F. H. Crossley, English Church Woodwork, page 155,

     The construction of a misericord stall is very peculiar. The shaped standards or elbows are cut out of wide planks. They are notched over a deep and massive bottom rail (to which the misericords are hinged in many cases), and are housed into the massive capping, which is very wide and hollowed out with semicircular recesses to form curved backs for the stalls.

4. A medieval dagger, used for the mercy stroke to a wounded foe.

Synonyms

• (subsellium): mercy seat

Translations

References

• “misericord”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, ?ISBN
• “misericord” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

English

Etymology

From Middle English miserere, a borrowing from Latin miser?re (“have pity”), first word of the 51st Psalm, a calque of Ancient Greek ??????? (elé?son).

Noun

miserere (plural misereres)

1. A prayer for mercy.
2. An expression of lamentation or complaint.
3. A medieval dagger, used for the mercy stroke to a wounded foe; misericord.
4. (architecture) A small projecting boss or bracket on the underside of the hinged seat of a church stall, intended to give some support to a standing worshipper when the seat is turned up; a misericord.
5. Ileus.

References

• “miserere”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, ?ISBN
• “miserere” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Italian

Etymology

From Latin miser?re (literally “have mercy!”), second-person singular active imperative form of miseror.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mi.ze?r?.re/
• Rhymes: -?re
• Hyphenation: mi?se?rè?re

Noun

miserere m (invariable)

1. (Roman Catholicism) Miserere (51^st psalm)
2. miserere (expression of lamentation or complaint)

Related terms

Verb

miserere!

1. (now only humorous) Used as a second-person imperative form: Have mercy!

References

• miserere in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Verb

miser?re

1. second-person singular present active subjunctive of miseror
2. second-person singular present passive subjunctive of miser?
3. present active infinitive of miseret
4. present active infinitive of misere?
5. second-person singular present passive imperative of misere?
6. second-person singular present passive indicative of misere?
7. second-person singular present active imperative of misereor
8. second-person singular present active indicative of misereor