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?
Law
a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
the document by which such remission is declared.
forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
[Obs.]a papal indulgence.
v.t.
to make courteous allowance for or to excuse:Pardon me, madam.
to release (a person) from liability for an offense.
to remit the penalty of (an offense):The governor will not pardon your crime.
interj.
(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.)
Medieval Latin perdōnāre to remit, overlook, literally, to forgive, equivalent. to Latin per-for- (see per-) + dōnāre to give; see donate; Medieval Latin verb, verbal perh. a translation from Gmc
Old French pardon (noun, nominal) remission, indulgence, noun, nominal derivative of pardoner (verb, verbal)
Middle English (noun, nominal and verb, verbal) 1250–1300
par′don•a•ble, adj. par′don•a•ble•ness, n. par′don•a•bly, adv. par′don•less, adj.
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.
to excuse or forgive (a person) for (an offence, mistake, etc): to pardon someone, to pardon a fault
n
forgiveness; allowance
release from punishment for an offence
the warrant granting such release
a Roman Catholic indulgence
sentence substitute
Also:pardon me, I beg your pardon
sorry; excuse me
what did you say?
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French, from Medieval Latin perdōnum, from perdōnāre to forgive freely, from Latin per (intensive) + dōnāre to grantˈpardonableadjˈpardonablyadv
Forum discussions with the word(s) "pardon screen" in the title: