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

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹ.dən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑːdən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹ.dn̩/

• 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 […]

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 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
• Dutch: pardon (nl) n
• Finnish: armahdus (fi)
• French: grâce (fr) f
• Georgian: შეწყალება (šec̣q̇aleba)
• German: Begnadigung (de) f

• Greek: αμνηστεία 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: 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, Julius Caesar

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

   • 1815: Jane Austen, Emma

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

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:

     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: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by 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: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: antaa anteeksi
• French: pardonner (fr)
• Georgian: პატიება (ṗaṭieba)
• German: verzeihen (de), vergeben (de)
• Greek:

  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)
• 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 (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 (bebaxšid), معذرت می‌خواهم‎ (ma'zerat mi-xâham)
• 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

Noun

pardon n (plural pardons)

1. (law) pardon, clemency

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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”)

Noun

pardon m (plural pardons)

1. pardon, forgiveness

Derived terms

• Grand Pardon

Further reading

• “pardon” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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.

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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

Borrowed from French pardon.

Interjection

pardon

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