Pardon
Pronunciation
- Canada IPA: /ˈpɑrdən/
- US IPA: /ˈpɑɹɾn̩/
- Rhymes: -É‘Ë(r)dÉ™n
Origin
Middle English pardonen from Old French pardoner from Vulgar Latin *perdonare, from per- + donare, a loan-translation of a 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.
Full definition of pardon
Noun
pardon
(plural pardons)- Forgiveness for an offence.
- 1748: Samuel Richardson, Clarissaa step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends;
- (legal) 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.
- 1974: President Gerald Ford, Proclamation 4311I... have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States ...
Derived terms
Verb
- (transitive) To forgive.
- 1599: William Shakespeare, Julius CaesarO, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! - 1815: Jane Austen, EmmaI hope you will not find he has outstepped the truth more than may be pardoned, in consideration of the motive.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 1, In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, …, and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
- (transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.
- ShakespeareI pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.
- (transitive, legal) To grant an official pardon for a crime; unguilt.
- 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,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.Pardon?, What did you say?, Can you say that again?