Pardon
/ˈpɑːr.dən/noun
A formal release from punishment, guilt, or a legal penalty; also used as a polite request for repetition or forgiveness.
Did you know?The word entered English through Anglo-French and ultimately comes from a Latin phrase meaning to give something completely, which is why pardon carries the sense of a total legal or moral release.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*do-
“to give”
Latin
Latin
donare
“to give, bestow”
Late Latin
Latin
perdonare
“to forgive, grant fully”
Old French
Old French
pardoner
“to forgive, remit, grant a pardon”
Middle English
English
pardon
“forgiveness, remittance of a penalty”
Modern English
English
pardon
“forgiveness, official release from punishment”