Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

forfeiter

 - 4 dictionary results

for⋅feit

  [fawr-fit]
Use forfeiter 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 forfeiter
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.
Cite This Source
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
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: forfeit
Function: adjective
: forfeited or subject to forfeiture
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see forfeiter on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way