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forfeit

 - 6 dictionary results

for⋅feit

  [fawr-fit]
Use forfeit in a Sentence
–noun
1. a fine; penalty.
2. an act of forfeiting; forfeiture.
3. something to which the right is lost, as for commission of a crime or misdeed, neglect of duty, or violation of a contract.
4. an article deposited in a game because of a mistake and redeemable by a fine or penalty.
5. forfeits, (used with a singular verb) a game in which such articles are taken from the players.
–verb (used with object)
6. to subject to seizure as a forfeit.
7. to lose or become liable to lose, as in consequence of crime, fault, or breach of engagement.
–adjective
8. lost or subject to loss by forfeiture.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME forfet < OF (ptp. of forfaire to commit crime, to lose possession or right through a criminal act) < ML forīs factum penalty, ptp. of forīs facere to transgress, equiv. to L forīs outside, wrongly + facere to make, do

Related forms:
for⋅feit⋅a⋅ble, adjective
for⋅feit⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
7. surrender, yield, relinquish, forgo, waive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To forfeit
for·feit   (fôr'fĭt)   
n.  

  1. Something surrendered or subject to surrender as punishment for a crime, an offense, an error, or a breach of contract.

  2. Games

    1. Something placed in escrow and then redeemed after payment of a fine.

    2. forfeits A game in which forfeits are demanded.

  3. A forfeiture.

adj.  Lost or subject to loss through forfeiture.
tr.v.   for·feit·ed, for·feit·ing, for·feits

  1. To surrender, be deprived of, or give up the right to on account of a crime, an offense, an error, or a breach of contract.

  2. To subject to seizure as a forfeit.


[Middle English forfet, crime, penalty, from Old French forfait, past participle of forfaire, to commit a crime, act outside the law : fors-, beyond; see foreclose + faire, to do; see feasible.]
for'feit·a·ble adj., for'feit·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

forfeit  (n.)
c.1300, from O.Fr. forfait "crime," originally pp. of forfaire "transgress," from for- "outside, beyond," + faire "to do" (from L. facere; see factitious). Translating M.L. foris factum. Sense shifted c.1450 from the crime to the penalty.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: for·feit
Pronunciation: 'for-f&t
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French, from Middle French forfait, past participle of forfaire to commit a crime, from fors outside + faire to do
: something forfeited or subject to being forfeited

Main Entry: forfeit
Function: transitive verb
1 : to lose or lose the right to by some default, failure, or neglect of obligation or duty or by some offense forfeit to the United States…any proceeds which the person obtained, directly or indirectly, from racketeering activity —U.S. Code>
2 : to subject to forfeiture forfeit and sell the same —Morgan v. United States, 107 Federal Reporter Supp. 501 (1952)> —for·feit·abil·i·ty /"for-f&-t&-'bi-l&-tE/ noun —for·feit·able adjective

Main Entry: forfeit
Function: adjective
: forfeited or subject to forfeiture
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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