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Mercia

[mur-shee-uh, -shuh]
noun
  1. an early English kingdom in central Britain.
  2. a female given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mercia

Historical Examples

  • The supremacy of Mercia passed to that of Wessex—London went with the supremacy.

    The History of London

    Walter Besant

  • When Mercia became subject to Wessex it was ruled by an alderman.

  • Her husband had been Wulphere, King of Mercia, who died in 675.

  • He communicates his intention in a letter to Offa, King of Mercia.

    Bibliomania in the Middle Ages

    Frederick Somner Merryweather

  • Fethelgeta was the second, and of him came the kings of Mercia.

British Dictionary definitions for mercia

Mercia

noun
  1. a kingdom and earldom of central and S England during the Anglo-Saxon period that reached its height under King Offa (757–96)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mercia

Mercia

Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Midlands, Latinized from Old English Mierce "men of the Marches," from mearc (see march (n.2)). Related: Mercian.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper