pardon

See also: Pardon and pardön

English

Etymology

From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) 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): /ˈpɑːdn̩/
(General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹd(ə)n/, [ˈpʰɑ˞dn̩]
Audio (GA) (file)
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpaːdɘn/, [ˈpʰäːɾɘn]
Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)dən
Hyphenation: par‧don

Noun

pardon (countable and uncountable, plural pardons)

Forgiveness for an offence.
- 1748, [Samuel Richardson], Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], OCLC 13631815:
  […] a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends; […]
(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 (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 It cannot be rescinded by the next president.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
pardonmonger

Translations

forgiveness for an offence

American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
Arabic: إِبْرَاء‎ m (ʔibrāʔ), إِعْفَاء‎ m (ʔiʕfāʔ)
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／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)
Macedonian: про́шка f (próška), просту́вање n (prostúvanje)
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
Turkish: pardon (tr)
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 (ʕafw), 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 (ja) (おんしゃ, onsha), 勘弁 (ja) (かんべん, kanben)
Korean: 은사 (eunsa), 사면 (ko) (samyeon)
Macedonian: помилу́вање n (pomilúvanje), амне́стија f (amnéstija)
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. 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)

(transitive) To forgive (a person).
- 1599 (first performance), 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.
(transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), 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.
(transitive, law) To grant an official pardon for a crime.
- 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, “chapter I”, in The House Behind the Cedars:
  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 (ʕafā), غَفَرَ‎ (ḡafara)
Bulgarian: извинявам (bg) (izvinjavam), прощавам (bg) (proštavam)
Catalan: perdonar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 原諒／原谅 (zh) (yuánliàng), 寬恕／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 (la), dono (la), condono
Macedonian: про́сти (prósti), и́звини (ízvini)
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 (ʕafā), عَذَرَ‎ (ʕaḏara)
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)
Macedonian: поми́лува (pomíluva), сми́лува (smíluva)
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. 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?

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

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:say again

Translations

interjection, request to repeat

Arabic: عَفْواً!‎ (ʕafwan!), (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／请再说一遍 (zh) (qǐng zàishuō yī biàn), 什么 (zh) (shénme), 什麼／什么 (zh)
Danish: hvadbehager, hvad (da), undskyld mig
Dutch: pardon? (nl), sorry? (nl), excuseer? (nl)
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?)
Macedonian: мо́лам? (mólam?), (plain) што? (što?), (plain) ка́ко? (káko?)
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

Czech

Alternative forms

pardón

Interjection

pardon

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

Synonyms

omlouvám se, promiňte, promiň, sorry, soráč

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French pardon.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɑrˈdɔn/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: par‧don
Rhymes: -ɔn

Interjection

pardon

I'm sorry, pardon

Descendants

Negerhollands: pardon, bardon
→ Saramaccan: padón

Noun

pardon n (plural pardons)

(law) pardon, clemency

Descendants

Negerhollands: pardon, bardon

French

Etymology

Deverbal from pardonner.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /paʁ.dɔ̃/
audio (France) (file)
audio (Quebec) (file)

Interjection

pardon

excuse me
sorry

Descendants

Bulgarian: пардон (pardon) (colloquial)
Czech: pardon (colloquial)
Dutch: pardon
- Negerhollands: pardon, bardon
- → Saramaccan: padón
English: pardon
Hungarian: pardon
Macedonian: пардон (pardon)
Ottoman Turkish: پاردون‎ (pardon)
- Turkish: pardon
Polish: pardon
Romanian: pardon
Russian: пардон (pardon) (colloquial)

Noun

pardon m (plural pardons)

pardon, forgiveness

Derived terms

demander pardon
Grand Pardon

Descendants

Dutch: pardon
- Negerhollands: pardon, bardon
German: Pardon
Hungarian: pardon
Romanian: pardon
Swedish: pardon

Anagrams

pondra

Hungarian

Etymology

From French pardon, primarily via German Pardon.[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈpɒrdon]
Hyphenation: par‧don
Rhymes: -on

Interjection

pardon

pardon!, pardon me!, excuse me!, I beg your pardon!, sorry!
Synonym: bocsánat

Noun

pardon

(dated, law) pardon
Synonym: kegyelem

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	pardon	pardonok
accusative	pardont	pardonokat
dative	pardonnak	pardonoknak
instrumental	pardonnal	pardonokkal
causal-final	pardonért	pardonokért
translative	pardonná	pardonokká
terminative	pardonig	pardonokig
essive-formal	pardonként	pardonokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	pardonban	pardonokban
superessive	pardonon	pardonokon
adessive	pardonnál	pardonoknál
illative	pardonba	pardonokba
sublative	pardonra	pardonokra
allative	pardonhoz	pardonokhoz
elative	pardonból	pardonokból
delative	pardonról	pardonokról
ablative	pardontól	pardonoktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	pardoné	pardonoké
non-attributive possessive - plural	pardonéi	pardonokéi

Possessive forms of pardon
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	pardonom	pardonjaim
2nd person sing.	pardonod	pardonjaid
3rd person sing.	pardonja	pardonjai
1st person plural	pardonunk	pardonjaink
2nd person plural	pardonotok	pardonjaitok
3rd person plural	pardonjuk	pardonjaik

Derived terms

Expressions

nem ismer pardont

References

pardon in Gerstner, Károly (ed.). Új magyar etimológiai szótár. (’New Etymological Dictionary of Hungarian’). Beta version. Budapest, MTA Nyelvtudományi Intézet / ELKH Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont, 2011–2022. (Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungary).

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French pardon.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpar.dɔn/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -ardɔn
Syllabification: par‧don

Noun

pardon m inan

(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

(colloquial) sorry, excuse me, I beg your pardon
Synonym: przepraszam

Romanian

Etymology

From French pardon.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /parˈdon/

Interjection

pardon

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

Noun

pardon n (uncountable)

(dated) pardon, pardoning, forgiveness, excuse

Synonyms

iertare, scuză

Swedish

Noun

pardon c

(usually negated) mercy
utan pardon ― without mercy

Synonyms

nåd

Anagrams

pandor

Turkish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɑɾ.don/

Interjection

pardon

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

[1] rdon in Gerstner, Károly (ed.). Új magyar etimológiai szótár. (’New Etymological Dictionary of Hungarian’). Beta version. Budapest, MTA Nyelvtudományi Intézet / ELKH Nyelvtudományi Kutatóközpont, 2011–2022. (Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungary).

pardon

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

Synonyms

Translations

Anagrams

Czech

Alternative forms

Interjection

Synonyms

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection

Descendants

Noun

Descendants

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection

Descendants

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading

Anagrams

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Interjection

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection

Noun

Synonyms

See also

Swedish

Noun

Synonyms

Anagrams

Turkish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection