Hypertext Webster Gateway: "amerce"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Amerce \A*merce"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Amerced}; 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 amerced the criminal in the sum on the hundred
dollars.
Note: The penalty of 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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
amerce
v 1: punish with an arbitrary penalty
2: punish by a fine imposed arbitrarily by the discretion of
the court
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