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mercy
men·tal·i·ty /men'tæləti/ n 1 [U] the abilities and powers of
the mind: a person of weak mentality 2 [C] a person's
habitual way of thinking; character: I can't understand the
mentality of anyone who says such callous things. | a get-rich-
quick mentality
,mental 'note n something fixed in the mind to be remem-
bered: I must make a mental note to buy coffee/that we need
more coffee. | When she mentioned her birthday casually he
made a mental note of it.
men·thol /'menθɒl, -θɑːl/ n [U] a white substance
which smells and tastes of MINT. It is used in some BRANDS of
cigarettes to give them a special taste → -ated /-əleɪtɪd/ adj
men·tion¹ /'menʃən/ v [T] 1 to tell about (something) in a
few words, without giving details: We'd expected him to
discuss the new scheme in his speech, but he hardly even
mentioned it. | [+(that)] She mentioned that she'd seen the film,
but she didn't tell us anything about it. 2 to say the name of:
He mentioned a useful book. | the above-mentioned person
(=the one mentioned earlier) 3 Don't mention it polite There
is no need for thanks. I am glad to help: 'Thank you very
much.' 'Don't mention it.' 4 not to mention and in addition
there is ...: They have three dogs to look after, not to mention
the cat and the bird. → see also UNMENTIONABLE
mention² n [C usually sing.] a short remark about something or
naming of someone: The actor's wedding got a mention on
television. | He was given a mention in the list of helpers. |
(fml) He made no mention of having seen her. → see also
HONOURABLE MENTION
men·tor /'mentɔːr/ n a person who gives advice to another
over a period of time, especially to help them in their
working life
men·u /'menjuː/ n 1 a list of dishes in a meal or to be
ordered as separate meals, especially in a restaurant: Is fish
on the menu today? 2 a list of different choices shown on the
SCREEN of a COMPUTER during a PROGRAM from which the
user must choose: a menu-driven program (=operated by
using a menu)
Men·uh·in, Sir Ye·hu·di /'menjuɪn, jə'huːdi/ (1916–99) a
US VIOLIN player, who lived in the UK, where he started a
music school for children with special abilities and was
given the official title Lord Menuhin. As well as playing
CLASSICAL music, he was known for playing JAZZ with the
violin player Stephane Grappelli.
Men·zies, Sir Rob·ert Gor·don /'menzɪz, 'rɒbət
'gɔːdn||'ra:bərt 'gɔːr-/ (1894–1978) an Australian politician
and PRIME MINISTER who established the Liberal Party in
Australia
me·ow /mi'aʊ/ n, v MIAOW
MEP /ˌem iː 'piː/ n abbrev. for Member of the European Parlia-
ment; someone who has been elected as a member of the
Parliament of the EU
Meph·is·toph·e·les /ˌmefɪ'stɒfəliːzl||-'stɑː-/ another
name for the DEVIL, especially in the story of FAUST
→ Mephistophelean /ˌmefɪstə'fɪliən/ adj
Merc /mɜːk||mɜːrk/ n 1 especially BrE an informal name for a
Mercedes-Benz car → compare BENZ 2 AmE an informal
name for a car called the Mercury, made by FORD
mer·can·tile /'mɜːkəntaɪl||'mɜːrkəntɪl, -taɪl/ adj [A] fml of
trade and business; COMMERCIAL: mercantile law
,mercantile ma'rine n → see MERCHANT NAVY
Mer·ca·tor pro·jec·tion /məˌkeɪtə prə'dʒekʃən||
mərˌkeɪtər-/ also Mercator's projection a way of draw-
ing a map of the world so that it can be divided into regular
squares, instead of getting thinner at the northern and
southern edges
Mer·ce·des /mɜː'seɪdɪz||mər-/ also Mer,cedes 'Benz
trademark a type of car made by the German company
Daimler-Benz. Mercedes cars are thought of as very strong
and well-built, bought especially by rich people, successful
business people, and political leaders. In the UK, a Mercedes
is informally called a 'Merc', and in the US it is informally
called a 'Benz'.
mer·ce·na·ry¹ /'mɜːsənərɪ||'mɜːrsəneri/ adj derog influ-
enced by the wish for money
mercenary² n a soldier who fights for any country or group
that pays him, not for his own country
mer·chan·dise¹ /'mɜːtʃəndaɪz, -daɪs||'mɜːr-/ n
[U] 1 things for sale; goods 2 goods such as records,
BADGES, T-SHIRTS etc, connected with a popular performer or
show, and sold at a performance: We make more from the
merchandise than we do from ticket sales.
merchandise² v [T] to try to sell (goods or services): If this
product is properly merchandised, it should sell very well.
mer·chant /'mɜːtʃənt||'mɜːr-/ n a person who buys and
sells goods, especially of a particular sort, in large amounts:
a timber/tea/coal merchant
,merchant 'bank n a bank that provides banking services for
businesses rather than for ordinary people. Merchant banks
lend money, provide VENTURE CAPITAL, manage SHARES, and
give advice to companies. Merchant banks are not found in
the US, where the same banks deal with business and ordi-
nary customers through different departments.
,Merchant-'Ivory trademark a respected British film company
started by the PRODUCER Ismail Merchant (1936–) and the
DIRECTOR James Ivory (1928–), known for films such as A Room
with a View (1983), Howards End (1991), and The Remains of
the Day (1992). Many of their films are based on well-known
works of English literature, and they are often about the
lives of UPPER-CLASS English people in the early 20th
century, showing their beautiful clothes, houses etc and
about the English class system and its effects on people's
behaviour.
mer·chant·man /'mɜːtʃəntmən||'mɜːr-/ also 'merchant
ship n pl. -men /mən/ a ship carrying goods for trade
,merchant 'navy also mercantile marine especially BrE |
,merchant ma'rine especially AmE — n 1 all of a nation's
ships which are used in trade, not war 2 [+sing./pl. v] the
people who work on these ships
,Merchant of 'Venice, The a play by William Shakespeare
about a man called Antonio who borrows money from the
moneylender SHYLOCK. When Antonio cannot pay back the
money, Shylock demands the right to cut out a 'pound of
flesh' from Antonio's body. A famous speech from the play,
made by the main female character, Portia, begins with the
words, 'The quality of mercy is not strained', by which Portia
tells Shylock that he cannot be forced to show MERCY (=for-
giveness), but that this would be a morally good thing to do.
mer·ci·ful /'mɜːsɪfəl||'mɜːr-/ adj 1 showing MERCY; forgiv-
ing or being kind rather than punishing or being cruel: The
merciful king saved him from death. 2 happening by good
luck and changing a bad situation: a merciful death (=it was
fortunate to die, rather than suffer) → -ly adv: Mercifully
(=luckily) I remembered his name just in time. → -ness n [U]
mer·ci·less /'mɜːsɪləs||'mɜːr-/ adj showing no MERCY; pun-
ishing rather than forgiving: a merciless judge | (fig.) merciless
criticism → -ly adv → -ness n [U]
mer·cu·ri·al /mɜː'kjʊəriəl||'mɜːr-/ adj especially lit quick,
active, and often changing: a mercurial temper | her mercu-
rial mind → -ly adv
mer·cu·ry /'mɜːkjʊri||'mɜːr-/ n [U] a heavy silver-white
metal that is a simple substance (ELEMENT), is liquid at
ordinary temperatures, and is used in THERMOMETERS,
BAROMETERS etc
Mercury¹ n [S] 1 the PLANET that is nearest the sun 2 in
Roman MYTHOLOGY, the god who is the messenger of the
gods. He is usually shown in pictures with wings on his shoes
and on his HELMET. In Greek mythology his name is Hermes.
Mercury² trademark Merc infml a US car made by Ford, known
for being comfortable but not too expensive
Mercury, Fred·die /'fredi/ (1946–91) the main singer with
the POP group QUEEN. He was known for his unusual clothes
and his exciting, energetic performances on stage. He died of
AIDS.
'Mercury ,program, the (1961–63) a US government space
programme designed to put human beings in ORBIT around
the Earth. In its first successful flight, John GLENN made
three orbits of the Earth in 1962. → see also APOLLO
PROGRAM, GEMINI PROGRAM
mer·cy /'mɜːsi||'mɜːrsi/ n 1 [U] willingness to forgive, not
to punish; kindness and pity: The general showed no mercy,