pardon

[pahr-dn] /ˈpɑr dn/
noun
1.
kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense or discourtesy or in tolerance of a distraction or inconvenience:
I beg your pardon, but which way is Spruce Street?
2.
Law.
  1. a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
  2. the document by which such remission is declared.
3.
forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
4.
Obsolete. a papal indulgence.
verb (used with object)
5.
to make courteous allowance for or to excuse:
Pardon me, madam.
6.
to release (a person) from liability for an offense.
7.
to remit the penalty of (an offense):
The governor will not pardon your crime.
interjection
8.
(used, with rising inflection, as an elliptical form of I beg your pardon, as when asking a speaker to repeat something not clearly heard or understood.)
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English (noun and v.) < Old French pardon (noun) remission, indulgence, noun derivative of pardoner (v.) < Medieval Latin perdōnāre to remit, overlook, literally, to forgive, equivalent to Latin per- for- (see per-) + dōnāre to give; see donate; Medieval Latin v. perhaps a translation from Germanic
Related forms
pardonable, adjective
pardonableness, noun
pardonably, adverb
pardonless, adjective
nonpardoning, adjective
unpardonable, adjective
unpardonably, adverb
unpardoned, adjective
unpardoning, adjective
Can be confused
commute, forgive, pardon (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
3. absolution, remission. Pardon, amnesty, reprieve are nouns referring to the cancellation, or delay with the possibility of eventual cancellation, of a punishment or penalty assigned for the violation of a military regulation or a civil law; absolution from guilt is not implied, merely a remission of the penalty. A pardon is granted to an individual, often by the action of a government official such as a governor, president, or monarch, and releases the individual from any punishment due for the infraction of the law, as a death sentence, prison term, or fine: to be released from prison with a full pardon. An amnesty is a pardon granted to a group of persons for past offenses against a government; it often includes an assurance of no future prosecution: to grant amnesty to political prisoners; an amnesty period for delinquent taxpayers during which no penalties are assessed. A reprieve is a delay of impending punishment, especially a death sentence; it does not cancel or remit the punishment, it simply delays it, usually for a specific period of time or until a decision can be arrived at as to the possibility of pardon or reduction of sentence: a last-minute reprieve, allowing the filing of an appeal to the Supreme Court. 6. acquit, clear. See excuse. 7. forgive, absolve, condone, overlook.
Antonyms
5. censure, blame.
Examples from the web for pardon
  • The power to pardon traditionally belongs to the president.
  • Sheesh, please pardon the typos in my last two posts.
  • pardon me if this political screed seems out of place here.
  • The autogyro is a pilot program, if you'll pardon the pun.
  • Among the new occupations or pursuits that have recently sprung up here is that of the pardon broker, or advocate.
  • The government announced a pardon for acts of political violence committed during the election campaign earlier this year.
  • Please pardon my previous unintended mention of anti-molecules, which have never been detected.
  • It was, if you'll pardon the expression, a paradigm switch.
  • pardon my unruly critical thought processes, but in my experience only ideas that can survive criticism and refinement are useful.
  • But the swan song remains the same, pardon the paraphrase.
British Dictionary definitions for pardon

pardon

/ˈpɑːdən/
verb (transitive)
1.
to excuse or forgive (a person) for (an offence, mistake, etc): to pardon someone, to pardon a fault
noun
2.
forgiveness; allowance
3.
  1. release from punishment for an offence
  2. the warrant granting such release
4.
a Roman Catholic indulgence
sentence substitute
5.
Also pardon me, I beg your pardon
  1. sorry; excuse me
  2. what did you say?
Derived Forms
pardonable, adjective
pardonably, adverb
pardonless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Medieval Latin perdōnum, from perdōnāre to forgive freely, from Latin per (intensive) + dōnāre to grant
Word Origin and History for pardon
n.

late 13c., "papal indulgence," from Old French pardon, from pardoner "to grant; forgive" (11c., Modern French pardonner), "to grant, forgive," from Vulgar Latin *perdonare "to give wholeheartedly, to remit," from Latin per- "through, thoroughly" (see per) + donare "give, present" (see donation).

Meaning "passing over an offense without punishment" is from c.1300, also in the strictly ecclesiastical sense; sense of "pardon for a civil or criminal offense; release from penalty or obligation" is from late 14c. earlier in Anglo-French. Weaker sense of "excuse for a minor fault" is attested from 1540s.

v.

mid-15c., "to forgive for offense or sin," from Old French pardoner (see pardon (n.)).

'I grant you pardon,' said Louis XV to Charolais, who, to divert himself, had just killed a man; 'but I also pardon whoever will kill you.' [Marquis de Sade, "Philosophy in the Bedroom"]
Related: Pardoned; pardoning. Pardon my French as exclamation of apology for obscene language is from 1895.

pardon in the Bible

the forgiveness of sins granted freely (Isa. 43:25), readily (Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:5), abundantly (Isa. 55:7; Rom. 5:20). Pardon is an act of a sovereign, in pure sovereignty, granting simply a remission of the penalty due to sin, but securing neither honour nor reward to the pardoned. Justification (q.v.), on the other hand, is the act of a judge, and not of a sovereign, and includes pardon and, at the same time, a title to all the rewards and blessings promised in the covenant of life.

Idioms and Phrases with pardon

pardon

see: