Part 216

A*mends" (&?;), n. sing. & pl. [F. amendes, pl. of amende. Cf. Amende.] Compensation for a loss or injury; recompense; reparation. [Now const. with sing. verb.] "An honorable amends." Addison.

Yet thus far fortune maketh us amends. Shak.

A*men"i*ty (&?;), n.; pl. Amenities (&?;). [F. aménité, L. amoenitas, fr. amoenus pleasant.] The quality of being pleasant or agreeable, whether in respect to situation, climate, manners, or disposition; pleasantness; civility; suavity; gentleness.

A sweetness and amenity of temper. Buckle.

This climate has not seduced by its amenities. W. Howitt.

||A*men`or*rhœ"a (&?;), n. [Gr. 'a priv. + &?; month + &?; to flow: cf. F. aménorrhée.] (Med.) Retention or suppression of the menstrual discharge.

A*men`or*rhœ"al (&?;), a. Pertaining to amenorrhœa.

||A men"sa et tho"ro (&?;). [L., from board and bed.] (Law) A kind of divorce which does not dissolve the marriage bond, but merely authorizes a separate life of the husband and wife. Abbott.

Am"ent (&?;), n. [L. amentum thong or strap.] (Bot.) A species of inflorescence; a catkin.

The globular ament of a buttonwood. Coues.

Am`en*ta"ceous (&?;), a. [LL. amentaceus.] (Bot.) (a) Resembling, or consisting of, an ament or aments; as, the chestnut has an amentaceous inflorescence. (b) Bearing aments; having flowers arranged in aments; as, amentaceous plants.

||A*men"ti*a (&?;), n. [L.] (Med.) Imbecility; total want of understanding.

Am`en*tif"er*ous (&?;), a. [L. amentum + -ferous.] (Bot.) Bearing catkins. Balfour.

A*men"ti*form (&?;), a. [L. amentum + -form.] (Bot.) Shaped like a catkin.

||A*men"tum (&?;), n.; pl. Amenta (&?;). Same as Ament.

Am"e*nuse (&?;), v. t. [OF. amenuisier. See Minute.] To lessen. [Obs.] Chaucer.

A*merce" (*mrs"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amerced (*mrst"); p. pr. & vb. n. Amercing.] [OF. amercier, fr. a merci at the mercy of, liable to a punishment. See Mercy.] 1. To punish by a pecuniary penalty, the amount of which is not fixed by law, but left to the discretion of the court; as, the court amerced the criminal in the sum of one hundred dollars.

The penalty or fine may be expressed without a preposition, or it may be introduced by in, with, or of.

2. To punish, in general; to mulct.

Millions of spirits for his fault amerced Of Heaven. Milton.

Shall by him be amerced with penance due. Spenser.

A*merce"a*ble (&?;), a. Liable to be amerced.

A*merce"ment (&?;), n. [OF. amerciment.] The infliction of a penalty at the discretion of the court; also, a mulct or penalty thus imposed. It differs from a fine,in that the latter is, or was originally, a fixed and certain sum prescribed by statute for an offense; but an amercement is arbitrary. Hence, the act or practice of affeering. [See Affeer.] Blackstone.

This word, in old books, is written amerciament.

Amercement royal, a penalty imposed on an officer for a misdemeanor in his office. Jacobs.

A*mer"cer (&?;), n. One who amerces.

A*mer"cia*ment (&?;), n. [LL. amerciamentum.] Same as Amercement. Mozley & W.

A*mer"i*can (*mr"*kan), a. [Named from Americus Vespucius.] 1. Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent: American Indians.