pardon
UK[ˈpɑːdn]US[ˈpɑːrdn]
v
to forgive someone for something they have said or done
n
an official decision to forgive someone for a crime and to free them from punishment
n
used to politely ask someone to repeat something because you did not hear it
exclamation
used to say you are sorry for something you have said or done, especially when you have been slightly rude
Etymology
the word 'pardon' entered english in the late 13th century from old french 'pardoner', meaning 'to forgive, remit'. the old french term derived from late latin 'perdonare', a compound of the latin prefix 'per-' (meaning 'through, thoroughly') and the verb 'donare' (meaning 'to give'). the literal sense was 'to give wholeheartedly, to grant freely'. this concept evolved from the concrete act of giving to the abstract act of granting forgiveness or remission of a penalty. the journey from the physical 'giving' in latin to the legal and social concept of 'forgiveness' in english illustrates a common semantic shift where material actions become metaphors for abstract social and moral transactions.
Analysis
the word 'pardon' is a simplex loanword from french. it does not contain separable morphemes in its modern english spelling that are productive for analysis. its core is the latin root 'perdonare', where 'per-' (through, thoroughly) and 'donare' (to give) combine to mean 'to give wholeheartedly, to forgive'.
Examples
the governor decided to pardon the prisoner after new evidence proved his innocence.
i beg your pardon, i didn't quite catch what you said.
he asked for her pardon after his thoughtless remark.