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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

forgiveness en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /fəˈɡɪvnəs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /fɚˈɡɪvnəs/ (General-American)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Germanic *fra- Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- Proto-Germanic *gebaną ▲ Late Latin perdōnōcalq. Proto-Germanic *fragebaną Old English forġiefan Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Old English forġiefnes Middle English forgiveness English forgiveness From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes. By surface analysis, forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable, usually) The action of forgiving.
    • At the end of a week, she could bear the suspense no longer, and so went humbly to her old home and sought forgiveness. 1850, T. S. Arthur, “Happy on a Little”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 89:
    • It was not a war party, so it surely was men who came to ask for peace and forgiveness. 1907, Albert Ernest Jenks, Ba-Long-Long, The Igorot Boy, page 108:
    • The Basque terrorist group Eta, which killed more than 800 people during its four-decade armed campaign, has apologised for the suffering it caused and asked for the forgiveness of victims and their families as it prepares to dissolve. 2018 April 20, Sam Jones, “'We are truly sorry': Eta apologises for four decades of deadly violence”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2019:
    • If the incident in question causes you continued distress and negatively impacts your life, that’s where the f-word — forgiveness — may have a role to play, said psychologist Robert Enright, a pioneer in the field of forgiveness science and professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2023 December 10, Andrea Kane, “5 tips to help you flex your forgiveness muscle”, in CNN, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2024:
    • He begged for forgiveness after being caught stealing from the shop.
    • But Oh! what anguish can more poignant be Than of the heart which vainly longs to plead Forgiveness from the dead? Shall the dead heed? 1913 January 14, G. E. Reece, “"The Bookman" Prize Competitions § Results of Competitions for December § Forgive!”, in The Bookman, volume XLIII, number 256:
    • Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and misinterpreting Holy Scriptures and numerous examples of mercy. We remember God’s forgiveness of Cain, who killed Abel, and the adulterer King David, who arranged the killing of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, his lover. 2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 39:
  2. (uncountable, usually) A readiness to forgive.
    • The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. 1931, Mahatma Gandhi, Young India:
    • If thou, Lord, shouldest marke iniquities: O Lord, who shal stand? But there is forgiuenesse with thee: that thou mayest be feared. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 130:3–4:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
forgivenesses Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission · preforgiveness · it's better to ask forgiveness than permission · unforgiveness

Relateds

reprieve · revenge · indulgence · pardon · oblivion · amnesty · grace · absolution · reconciliation · remission

Synonyms

forgiveness · remission · mercy

Translations (114)

fi anteeksiantavaisuus (readiness to forgive) · pl odpuszczenie (the action of forgiving) · rup ljirtari (the action of forgiving) · ur مُعَافی (the action of forgiving) · tr bağışlama (the action of forgiving) · hy ներում (the action of forgiving) · fa-ira مُعافی (the action of forgiving) · lt atleidimas (the action of forgiving) · nb tilgivelse (the action of forgiving) · bn মাফি (the action of forgiving) · bn মাগফিরাত (the action of forgiving) · sh опроште́ње (the action of forgiving) · nl vergiffenis (the action of forgiving) · bg опроще́ние (the action of forgiving) · sl odpuščanje (the action of forgiving) · eo kompato (readiness to forgive) · sv förlåtelse (the action of forgiving) · my ခွင့်လွှတ်ခြင်း (the action of forgiving) · ckb لێبوردن (the action of forgiving) · mi murunga (the action of forgiving) · mg Famelana (the action of forgiving) · fr pardon (the action of forgiving) · vi sự tha thứ (the action of forgiving) · da eftergivelse (the action of forgiving) · sq falje (the action of forgiving) · sh izvinjénje (the action of forgiving) · uk проще́ння (the action of forgiving) · mi murunga hara (the action of forgiving) · hi माफ़ी (the action of forgiving) · fa-ira بَخْشِش (the action of forgiving) · vo pard (the action of forgiving) · bg про́шка (the action of forgiving) · fa-ira گُذَشْت (the action of forgiving) · got 𐌰𐍆𐌻𐌴𐍄 (the action of forgiving) · ar مُسَامَحَة (the action of forgiving) · sh oprošténje (the action of forgiving) · et andeksand (the action of forgiving) · az bağışlama (the action of forgiving) · ga maitheamh (the action of forgiving) · it perdono (the action of forgiving) · pl przebaczenie (the action of forgiving) · nl vergevingsgezindheid (readiness to forgive) · uz kechirish (the action of forgiving) · la remissio (the action of forgiving) · cs odpuštění (the action of forgiving) · kk кешірім (the action of forgiving) · de Verzeihung (the action of forgiving) · tr af (the action of forgiving) · tg бахшиш (the action of forgiving) · et andeksandmine (the action of forgiving) · uz kechirim (the action of forgiving) · ro iertare (the action of forgiving) · ja 容赦 (the action of forgiving) · uk проба́чення (the action of forgiving) · de Nachsicht (readiness to forgive) · de Versöhnlichkeit (readiness to forgive) · ar مَغْفِرَة (the action of forgiving) · fi anteeksiantamus (the action of forgiving) · cmn 饒恕 /饶恕 (the action of forgiving) · rup ljirtãciuni (the action of forgiving) · az əfv (the action of forgiving) · gv maih (the action of forgiving) · lo ການໃຫ້ອະໄພ (the action of forgiving) · mk прошка (the action of forgiving) · rsk пребаченє (the action of forgiving) · bn ক্ষমা (the action of forgiving) · th อโหสิกรรม (the action of forgiving) · ka შენდობა (the action of forgiving) · ang forġiefnes (the action of forgiving) · da villighed til at tilgive (readiness to forgive) · gv maihnys (the action of forgiving) · ru извине́ние (the action of forgiving) · el συγγνώμη (the action of forgiving) · hi क्षमा (the action of forgiving) · ru снисходи́тельность (readiness to forgive) · lv piedošana (the action of forgiving) · da barmhjertighed (readiness to forgive) · ar غُفْرَان (the action of forgiving) · ka პატიება (the action of forgiving) · ur بَخْشِش (the action of forgiving) · ro scuză (the action of forgiving) · ky кечирүү (the action of forgiving) · es disculpación (the action of forgiving) · txb kṣānti (the action of forgiving) · nl vergeving (the action of forgiving) · eo pardono (the action of forgiving) · mk извинение (the action of forgiving) · ru проще́ние (the action of forgiving) · el συγχώρεση (the action of forgiving) · sh извиње́ње (the action of forgiving) · bg извине́ние (the action of forgiving) · hu megbocsátás (the action of forgiving) · sw ghofira (the action of forgiving) · de Vergebung (the action of forgiving) · tg гузашт (the action of forgiving) · ko 용서 (the action of forgiving) · pl wybaczenie (the action of forgiving) · ceb kapasayloan (the action of forgiving) · ro pardon (the action of forgiving) · ms maaf (the action of forgiving) · da tilgivelse (the action of forgiving) · la venia (the action of forgiving) · az bağışlanma (the action of forgiving) · tl kapatawaran (the action of forgiving) · sk odpustenie (the action of forgiving) · th การให้อภัย (the action of forgiving) · ar عَفْو (the action of forgiving) · fi anteeksi antaminen (the action of forgiving) · be прабачэ́нне (the action of forgiving) · he סְלִיחָה (the action of forgiving) · grc ἄφεσις (the action of forgiving) · fi anteeksianto (the action of forgiving) · pt perdão (the action of forgiving) · cmn 寬恕 /宽恕 (the action of forgiving)