English

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Etymology

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Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (to forgive, to give), from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną (to give away; give up; release; forgive), equivalent to for- +‎ give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (to forgive), West Frisian ferjaan (to forgive), Dutch vergeven (to forgive), German vergeben (to forgive), Icelandic fyrirgefa (to forgive).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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forgive (third-person singular simple present forgives, present participle forgiving, simple past forgave, past participle forgiven)

  1. (transitive) To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
    Please forgive me if my phone goes off - I'm expecting an urgent call from my boss.
    Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.
  2. (transitive) To pardon for (something); to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for.
    Forgive us our trespasses.
  3. (transitive) To waive or remit (a debt), to absolve from payment or compensation of.
    Forgive a debt, that is, tell a debtor that a repayment of a loan is no longer needed.
  4. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.
    • a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)
      The brave know only how to forgive [] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.
  5. (transitive) To look past; to look beyond.
    The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.
  6. (transitive) To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
    • 2015, Todd in the Shadows, The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2014:
      Okay, a good hook forgives everything.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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