LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

misericordia

misericordia f (genitive misericordiae)
Classical[mɪ.sɛ.rɪˈkɔr.di.a]Ecclesiastical[mi.s̬e.riˈkɔr.di.a]

Meaning

  1. femininepity, compassion, mercy, lovingkindness, tenderness, heartedness
    Sīc enim iam tēcum loquar, nōn ut odiō permōtus esse videar — quō dēbeō — sed ut misericordiā, quae tibi nūlla dēbētur.For thus I shall now speak with you, not so that I may seem to be moved by hatred — which I ought to be — but by pity, which is in no way owed to you.63 BCE, Cicero, In Catilinam orationes 1.16
    Timor misericordiam non recipitThe fear does not admit to the mercyc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico VII.26
  2. femininefigurativelywretchedness, misery; pathos

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

dolor prō dolōre alterīus
misericordia -ae (f) — in Aeneis, ch. 5

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemisericordiamisericordiae
genitivemisericordiaemisericordiārum
dativemisericordiaemisericordiīs
accusativemisericordiammisericordiās
ablativemisericordiāmisericordiīs
vocativemisericordiamisericordiae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

misericordiam implorare
to implore a person's sympathy, pity.
misericordiam alicui commovere
to excite some one's pity.
misericordiam alicuius concitare
to excite some one's pity.
misericordia moveri, capi (De Or. 2. 47)
to be touched with pity.
ad misericordiam aliquem allicere, adducere, inducere
to arouse feelings of compassion in some one.

mĭsĕrĭcordĭa, ae, f. misericors,
I. tender-heartedness, pity, compassion, mercy.
I. Lit. (class.): misericordia est aegritudo ex miseriā alterius injuriā laborantis, Cic. Tusc. 4, 8, 18: (Stoici) misericordiam, cupiditatem, metum, morbos animi appellant, Lact. 6, 14: misericordiam aliis commovere ... misericordiā capi, Cic. de Or. 2, 47, 195: misericordiā commotus, id. Mur. 31, 65: mentes hominum ad lenitatem misericordiamque revocare, id. de Or. 1, 12, 53: misericordiam implorare et exposcere, id. Mil. 34, 92: vestram misericordiam implorat, id. Mur. 40, 86: captare, id. Phil. 2, 34: populi concitare, id. de Or. 1, 53, 227: tribuere alicui, to give, bestow, id. Planc. 1, 3: adhibere, to show, id. Rab. Perd. 2, 5: praebere, Aug. Civ. Dei, 9, 5: exercere, to exercise, Dig. 16, 3, 7: misericordiam facere (eccl. Lat.), Vulg. Gen. 20, 13 al.: alienā misericordiā vivo, on the compassion of others, Cic. Rosc. Am. 50, 145: cum ipse patitur, miseria, cum aliis compatitur, misericordia dici solet, Aug. Conf. 3, 2, 1: ad misericordiam inducere, to move, Cic. Brut. 50, 188: ad misericordiam vocare, id. Mur. 3: misericordiam magnam habere, to have, entertain, id. ib. 40, 86.—Plur.: misericordias habere, Plaut. Most. 2, 3, 115.—With gen.: puerorum, for the children, Cic. Att. 7, 12: haec magnā cum misericordiā fletuque pronuntiantur, with great pathos, Caes. B. C. 2, 12 fin.: remotā misericordiā discutere, without compassion, Aug. Conf. 9, 13, 1.— Esp., plur.: misericordiae, works of charity, Salv. adv. Avar. 2, 1.—*
B. Transf., a condition to excite compassion, wretchedness, misery: quantum misericordiae nobis tuae preces et tua salus allatura sit, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 3, 8.—
II. Personified: Mĭ-sĕrĭcordĭa, the goddess Mercy or Compassion, App. M. 1, p. 263, 38; cf. Quint. 5, 11, 38; Claud. B. Gild. 404.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mh₂isros?
  2. Proto-Italic*misseros
  3. Latinmisericordia

Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd- Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr ~ *ḱr̥dés Proto-Italic *kord Latin cor Latin misericors Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin misericordia From misericors (“pitiful, compassionate, merciful”) + -ia.

Descendants
  • Catalanmisericòrdia
  • Englishmisericord
  • Englishmisericorde
  • Englishmisericordia
  • Frenchmiséricorde
  • Italianmisericordia
  • Portuguesemisericórdia
  • Romanianmizericordie
  • Spanishmisericordia
  • Gothic𐌰𐍂𐌼𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐌴𐌹

In English words that came into English from misericordia

  • misericordmisericordia
  • misericordiamisericordia

Quick answers

What does misericordia mean in Latin?
misericordia, a noun, means “pity, compassion, mercy, lovingkindness, tenderness, heartedness; wretchedness, misery; pathos”.
What is the genitive of misericordia?
The genitive singular is misericordiae. misericordia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce misericordia?
In classical Latin, [mɪ.sɛ.rɪˈkɔr.di.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [mi.s̬e.riˈkɔr.di.a].
Where does misericordia come from?
Proto-Indo-European *mh₂isros? → Proto-Italic *misseros → Latin misericordia.