forfeit

English

Etymology

Middle English from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait "crime", originally the past participle of forfaire "transgress", ad Middle Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.

Pronunciation

Noun

forfeit (plural forfeits)

  1. a penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor
That he our deadly forfeit should release (John Milton, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, 1629)

Translations

penalty

Verb

forfeit (third-person singular simple present forfeits, present participle forfeiting, simple past and past participle forfeited)

  1. To suffer the loss of something by wrongdoing or non-compliance
    He forfeited his last chance of an early release from jail by repeatedly attacking another inmate.
  2. To lose a contest, game, match, or other form of competition by voluntary withdrawal, by failing to attend or participate, or by violation of the rules
    Because only nine players were present, the football team was forced to forfeit the game.

Usage notes

  • Forfeit was the past and past participle before the 19th century.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

to suffer the loss
to give up in defeat
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Last modified on 20 February 2013, at 00:09