pardon

See also: Pardon and pardön

English

Etymology

From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Vulgar Latin *perdonare, from per- + donare, a loan-translation of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), from *fir- + *geban. Akin to Old High German fargeban, firgeban (“to forgive”), Old English forġiefan (“to forgive”). More at forgive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑːdən/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹ.dən/, [ˈpʰɑ˞dn̩]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpaːdɘn/, [ˈpʰäːɾɘn]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)dən

Noun

pardon (countable and uncountable, plural pardons)

1. Forgiveness for an offence.
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa

     […] a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends; […]

2. (law) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.
   • 1974: President Gerald Ford, Proclamation 4311

     I […] have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States […]

   • 2001, Olson, Barbara, “The Final Frenzy: Finishing Touches on the Legend”, in The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House‎^[1] (Politics/Current Affairs), Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, →ISBN, LCCN 2001048327, OCLC 658234525, page 7:

     But the president's most irreversible, almost God-like power is the authority granted to him under Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, "to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses Against the United States. . . ."
     The power is absolute-even a serial killer could be pardoned-and utterly unreviewable. It cannot be rescinded by the next president. The president may grant a pardon before a trial, after a trial, or without a trial. Once granted, a pardon can never be taken away.

Derived terms

• I beg your pardon

Translations

forgiveness for an offence

• American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
• Arabic: إِبْرَاء‎ m (ʾibrāʾ), إِعْفَاء‎ m (ʾiʿfāʾ)
• Armenian: ներում (hy) (nerum)
• Azerbaijani: əfv (az)
• Belarusian: прабачэ́нне n (prabačénnje), дарава́нне n (daravánnje)
• Bulgarian: опроще́ние (bg) n (oprošténie), прошка (bg) f (proška)
• Catalan: perdó (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原諒 (zh), 原谅 (zh) (yuánliàng)

• Czech: odpuštění (cs) n
• Dutch: vergeving (nl) f
• Esperanto: pardono
• Finnish: anteeksianto (fi)
• French: pardon (fr) m
• Georgian: პატიება (ṗaṭieba)
• German: Vergebung (de) f, Verzeihung (de) f

• Greek: συγγνώμη (el) f (syngnómi), συχώρεση (el) f (sychóresi)

  Ancient: συγγνώμη f (sungnṓmē)

• Hebrew: סְלִיחָה‎ (he) f (s'likhá), מְחִילָה‎ (he) f (m'khilá)
• Hungarian: bocsánat (hu)
• Italian: perdono (it) m
• Japanese: 許し (ja) (ゆるし, yurushi)
• Korean: 용서 (ko) (yongseo)
• Manx: maihnys m
• Maori: murunga
• Norwegian: tilgivelse
• Polish: przebaczenie (pl) n, wybaczenie (pl) n, darowanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: perdão (pt) m
• Russian: проще́ние (ru) n (proščénije)
• Slovak: odpustenie n
• Spanish: perdón (es) m
• Swedish: ursäkt (sv) c
• Ukrainian: проще́ння n (proščénnja), ви́бачення n (výbačennja), проба́чення n (probáčennja), дарува́ння n (daruvánnja)

releasing order

• American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
• Arabic: عَفْو‎ (ar) m (ʿafw), صَفْح‎ m (ṣafḥ)
• Azerbaijani: əfv (az)
• Belarusian: памі́лаванне n (pamílavannje)
• Bulgarian: поми́лване (bg) n (pomílvane), амнистия (bg) f (amnistija)
• Catalan: perdó (ca) m, indult (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 赦免 (zh) (shèmiǎn)

• Czech: milost (cs) f
• Danish: benådning c
• Dutch: pardon (nl) n
• Finnish: armahdus (fi)
• French: grâce (fr) f
• Georgian: შეწყალება (šec̣q̇aleba)
• German: Begnadigung (de) f

• Greek: αμνηστεία (el) f (amnisteía), χάρη (el) f (chári)
• Hungarian: kegyelem (hu)
• Italian: grazia (it) f
• Japanese: 赦免 (ja) (しゃめん, shamen), 恩赦 (おんしゃ, onsha), 勘弁 (ja) (かんべん, kanben)
• Korean: 은사 (eunsa), 사면 (ko) (samyeon)
• Norwegian: benådning
• Polish: łaska (pl) f, ułaskawienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: indulto (pt) m, absolvição (pt) f
• Russian: поми́лование (ru) n (pomílovanije)
• Slovak: milosť n
• Spanish: indulto (es) m
• Swedish: benådning (sv) c, benådan c, amnesti (sv) c
• Thai: อภัยโทษ (à-pai-yá-tôot)
• Ukrainian: поми́лування n (pomýluvannja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} חנינה (ĥanina)‎ f

• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} بەخشین‎ (ku) (bexşîn), ^{(please verify)} لێبووران‎ (lêbûran)

Verb

pardon (third-person singular simple present pardons, present participle pardoning, simple past and past participle pardoned)

1. (transitive) To forgive (a person).
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!

   • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II or III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, OCLC 1708336:

     I hope you will not find he has outstepped the truth more than may be pardoned, in consideration of the motive.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698:

     In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.

2. (transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.
   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.

3. (transitive, law) To grant an official pardon for a crime.
   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,

     The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.

Derived terms

• pardonable
• pardoner
• pardon me
• pardon my French
• unpardonable

Translations

to forgive

• Arabic: عَفَا‎ (ʿafā), غَفَرَ‎ (ḡafara)
• Bulgarian: извинявам (bg) (izvinjavam), прощавам (bg) (proštavam)
• Catalan: perdonar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原諒 (zh), 原谅 (zh) (yuánliàng), 寬恕 (zh), 宽恕 (zh) (kuānshù)

• Dutch: vergeven (nl)
• Finnish: antaa anteeksi
• French: pardonner (fr)
• Georgian: პატიება (ṗaṭieba)
• German: verzeihen (de), vergeben (de)
• Greek: συγχωρώ (el) (synchoró)

  Ancient: συγγιγνώσκο (sungignṓsko)

• Japanese: 許す (ja) (ゆるす, yurusu)

• Latin: ignōscō, dono (la), condono
• Maori: muru
• Norwegian: tilgi (no)
• Portuguese: perdoar (pt)
• Russian: проща́ть (ru) impf (proščátʹ), прости́ть (ru) pf (prostítʹ)
• Sanskrit: मृडति (sa) (mṛḍati)
• Scottish Gaelic: math
• Spanish: perdonar (es)
• Swedish: förlåta (sv)
• Tamil: மன்னி (ta) (maṉṉi)
• Telugu: క్షమించు (te) (kṣamiñcu)
• Vietnamese: tha thứ (vi)
• Volapük: pardön (vo)
• Yiddish: אַנטשולדיקן‎ (antshuldikn)

to grant an official pardon

• Arabic: عَفَا‎ (ʿafā), عَذَرَ‎ (ʿaḏara)
• Azerbaijani: əfv etmək (az)
• Belarusian: мі́лаваць impf (mílavacʹ), памі́лаваць pf (pamílavacʹ)
• Bulgarian: помилвам (bg) (pomilvam), амнистирам (bg) (amnistiram)
• Catalan: perdonar (ca), indultar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 赦免 (zh) (shèmiǎn)

• Dutch: gratiëren (nl)
• Esperanto: amnestii
• Finnish: armahtaa (fi)
• French: pardonner (fr), gracier (fr)
• Georgian: შეწყალება (šec̣q̇aleba)

• German: begnadigen (de)
• Japanese: 赦免する (ja) (しゃめんする, shamen-suru), 容赦する (ja) (ようしゃする, yōsha-suru), 勘弁する (ja) (かんべんする, kanben-suru)
• Norwegian: benåde
• Occitan: graciar
• Portuguese: indultar, absolver (pt)
• Russian: ми́ловать (ru) impf (mílovatʹ), поми́ловать (ru) pf (pomílovatʹ)
• Spanish: indultar (es)
• Swedish: benåda (sv)
• Thai: อภัยโทษ (à-pai-yá-tôot)
• Ukrainian: ми́лувати impf (mýluvaty), поми́лувати pf (pomýluvaty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} اذن‎
• French: ^{(please verify)} grâce (fr)

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} indulgo (io)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} förlåta (sv), ^{(please verify)} ursäkta (sv)

Interjection

pardon?

1. Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:say again

Translations

interjection, request to repeat

• Arabic: عَفْواً!‎ (ʿafwan!), (to a male) مَاذَا قُلْتَ؟‎ (māḏā qulta?), (to a female) مَاذَا قُلْتِ؟‎ (māḏā qulti?)
• Bulgarian: моля? (bg) (molja?)
• Catalan: perdó (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 請再說一遍 (zh), 请再说一遍 (zh) (qǐng zàishuō yī biàn), 什么 (zh) (shénme), 什麼 (zh)

• Danish: hvadbehager, hvad (da), undskyld mig
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: anteeksi? (fi), anteeksi kuinka?; mitä? (fi) (colloquial)
• French: désolé (fr), excusez-moi (fr), excuse-moi, pardon?, comment?, (plain) quoi (fr)
• Georgian: ბატონო? (baṭono?), უკაცრავად? (uḳacravad?)
• German: pardon?, was? (colloquial), wie? (colloquial), wie bitte?
• Greenlandic: qanoq?

• Hebrew: סְלִיחָה‎ (he) f (s'likhá)
• Icelandic: ha? (is), hvað sagðirðu?
• Italian: come (it)
• Japanese: (polite) はい? (ja) (hai?) ; (plain) 何? (ja) (なに?, nani?), え? (ja) (e?)
• Korean: 네? (ko) (Ne?)
• Persian: ببخشید‎ (fa) (bebaxšid), معذرت می‌خواهم‎ (ma'zerat mi-xâham)
• Polish: proszę (pl)
• Portuguese: perdão? (pt), como? (pt)
• Romanian: poftim (ro) n, pardon (ro)
• Russian: прошу́ проще́ния (prošú proščénija), что вы сказа́ли (što vy skazáli)?, (plain) что? (ru) (što?)
• Spanish: ¿cómo (es)?, ¿perdón (es)?, ¿ah (es)? (Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, colloquial), ¿eh (es)? (Cuba, Spain, colloquial), ¿mande (es)? (Mexico, colloquial)
• Swedish: ursäkta (sv)?, förlåt (sv)?, va (sv)? (highly colloquial)

Anagrams

• Padron

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Czech

Alternative forms

• pardón

Interjection

pardon

1. sorry, I'm sorry, I beg your pardon, I apologize

Synonyms

• omlouvám se, promiňte, promiň, sorry, soráč

Further reading

• pardon in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• pardon in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French pardon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɑrˈdɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: par‧don
• Rhymes: -ɔn

Interjection

pardon

1. I'm sorry, pardon

Descendants

• Negerhollands: pardon, bardon
• → Saramaccan: padón

Noun

pardon n (plural pardons)

1. (law) pardon, clemency

Descendants

• Negerhollands: pardon, bardon

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French

Etymology

Deverbal of pardonner.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paʁ.dɔ̃/

• audio (France)

  (file)

• audio (Quebec)

  (file)

Interjection

pardon

1. excuse me
2. sorry

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: пардо́н (pardón, “colloquial”)
• → Czech: pardon (“colloquial”)
• → English: pardon
• → Russian: пардо́н (pardón, “colloquial”)
• → Turkish: pardon

Noun

pardon m (plural pardons)

1. pardon, forgiveness

Derived terms

• demander pardon
• Grand Pardon

Further reading

• “pardon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• pondra

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Hungarian

Etymology

From French pardon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /parˈdon/
• Rhymes: -on

Interjection

pardon

1. pardon!, pardon me!, excuse me!, I beg your pardon!, sorry!

Further reading

• pardon in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

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Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French pardon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpar.dɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ardɔn
• Syllabification: par‧don

Noun

pardon m inan

1. (dated) pardon, forgiveness

   Synonyms: przebaczenie, wybaczenie

Declension

Declension of pardon

	singular	plural
nominative	pardon	pardony
genitive	pardonu	pardonów
dative	pardonowi	pardonom
accusative	pardon	pardony
instrumental	pardonem	pardonami
locative	pardonie	pardonach
vocative	pardonie	pardony

Derived terms

adjective

• bezpardonowy

 

adverb

• bezpardonowo

 

noun

• bezpardonowość

 

verb

• pardonować

 

Interjection

pardon

1. (colloquial) sorry, excuse me, I beg your pardon

   Synonym: przepraszam

Further reading

• pardon in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pardon in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Romanian

Etymology

From French pardon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /parˈdon/

Interjection

pardon

1. pardon!, pardon me!, excuse me!, I beg your pardon!, sorry!

Noun

pardon n (uncountable)

1. (dated) pardon, pardoning, forgiveness, excuse

Synonyms

• iertare, scuză

See also

• poftim

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Swedish

Noun

pardon c

1. mercy

Synonyms

• nåd

Anagrams

• pandor

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Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish پاردون‎ (pardon), from French pardon.

Interjection

pardon

1. pardon!, pardon me!, excuse me!, I beg your pardon!, sorry!