The Clue
Unstrained quality, to Portia (5 letter answer)
The Answer
MERCY
Tags
Notes
The answer MERCY is seen occasionally, appearing about once every 750 puzzles.
Related Clues
Clemency
Compassion
"Heavens!"
Leniency
Lenity
"The quality of ___ . . . "
"Goodness gracious!"
"The quality of ___ . . . ": Shak.
Sentencing request
" . . . ___ on such as we"
Topic for Portia
Dobbs Ferry college
Exclamation akin to "Whew!"
Name of many a hospital
Old-fashioned exclamation
It's sometimes given to prisoners
Definition
MERCY as a noun:
1. (clemency, mercifulness, mercy) = leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; "he threw himself on the mercy of the court"
2. (mercifulness, mercy) = a disposition to be kind and forgiving; "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband"
3. (mercifulness, mercy) = the feeling that motivates compassion
4. something for which to be thankful; "it was a mercy we got out alive"
5. alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed; "distributing food and clothing to the flood victims was an act of mercy"