From Latin 'clementia' (mildness, mercy) — Julius Caesar famously practiced it as political strategy toward enemies.
Mercy or leniency, especially toward an offender or enemy.
From Latin 'clementia' (mildness, gentleness, mercy, indulgence), from 'clemens' (mild, gentle, merciful — in weather: calm, in temperament: forgiving). The etymology of Latin 'clemens' is disputed: some scholars connect it to PIE *kel- (to be quiet, to be still, in the sense of a calm sea or wind), related to Latin 'quies' (rest, quiet — whence English 'quiet,' 'quiescent'); others propose a connection to *kleu- (to hear, to listen — one who listens is mild). The Roman 'clementia' was an explicitly political virtue: Julius Caesar's famous
The Roman virtue of 'clementia' was political as well as personal — Julius Caesar famously practiced clemency toward defeated enemies, a policy that was both celebrated and ultimately fatal.
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