forfeit
UK[ˈfɔːfɪt]US[ˈfɔːrfɪt]
v
To lose or be forced to give up something as a penalty for a mistake, failure, or breach of law or agreement.
n
Something lost or given up as a penalty.
Morpheme Breakdown
for
feit
for
away, off, completely.
feit
to do, make
Etymology
The word 'forfeit' entered English from Anglo-French 'forfet' or 'forfait', meaning "a crime" or "something lost by a crime." This, in turn, came from Old French 'forfaire', meaning "to commit a crime, transgress," which is a compound of the prefix 'for-' (from Latin 'foris', meaning "outside, beyond") and 'faire' (from Latin 'facere', meaning "to do, make"). The literal sense is thus "to do or act beyond (what is permitted)." Over time, the meaning shifted from the act of transgression itself to the penalty incurred for it, evolving into the modern sense of losing a right or possession as a consequence of an error or breach of rules.
Analysis
Structure: for + feit
'for-' is a prefix of Germanic origin (via Old French) meaning "away, off, completely." '-feit' is derived from the Latin root '-fect-' (past participle stem of 'facere', meaning "to do, make").
Examples
They had to forfeit the match due to a rules violation.
Missing the deadline resulted in the forfeit of his deposit.
The team was forced to forfeit their championship title.