Amends
(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.
Amenity
(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.
Amenorrhœa
(||A*men`or*rhœ"a) n. [Gr. 'a priv. + month + to flow: cf. F. aménorrhée.] (Med.) Retention or
suppression of the menstrual discharge.
Amenorrhœal
(A*men`or*rhœ"al) a. Pertaining to amenorrhœa.
A mensa et thoro
(||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.
Ament
(Am"ent) n. [L. amentum thong or strap.] (Bot.) A species of inflorescence; a catkin.
The globular ament of a buttonwood.
Coues.
Amentaceous
(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.
Amentia
(||A*men"ti*a) n. [L.] (Med.) Imbecility; total want of understanding.
Amentiferous
(Am`en*tif"er*ous) a. [L. amentum + -ferous.] (Bot.) Bearing catkins. Balfour.
Amentiform
(A*men"ti*form) a. [L. amentum + -form.] (Bot.) Shaped like a catkin.
Amentum
(||A*men"tum) n.; pl. Amenta Same as Ament.
Amenuse
(Am"e*nuse) v. t. [OF. amenuisier. See Minute.] To lessen. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Amerce
(A*merce") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Amerced (a*merst"); 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.
Amerceable
(A*merce"a*ble) a. Liable to be amerced.
Amercement
(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,
