pardon
AI In plain words
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
pardon
- /ˈpɑːdn̩/ UK
- /ˈpɑɹdn̩/ Canada, US
- [ˈpʰɑ˞dn̩] Canada, US
- /ˈpaːdɘn/ New Zealand
- [ˈpʰäːɾɘn] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)dən
Where it comes from
From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdōnāre, from per- + dōnāre, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), from *fir- + *geban. Akin to Old High German fargeban, firgeban (“to forgive”), Old English forġiefan (“to forgive”). More at forgive.
noun pardons
- Forgiveness for an offence. […] a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends; […]
- An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed. The President[…]shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
verb pardons · pardoning · pardoned
- To forgive (a person). O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
- To refrain from exacting as a penalty. I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.
- To grant an official pardon for a crime. The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.
interjection
- Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.
