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unpardonable

 - 3 dictionary results

par⋅don

[pahr-dn]
–noun
1. kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense or discourtesy or in tolerance of a distraction or inconvenience: I beg your pardon, but which way is Spruce Street?
2. Law.
a. a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
b. the document by which such remission is declared.
3. forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
4. Obsolete. a papal indulgence.
–verb (used with object)
5. to make courteous allowance for or to excuse: Pardon me, madam.
6. to release (a person) from liability for an offense.
7. to remit the penalty of (an offense): The governor will not pardon your crime.
–interjection
8. (used, with rising inflection, as an elliptical form of I beg your pardon, as when asking a speaker to repeat something not clearly heard or understood.)

Origin:
1250–1300; ME (n. and v.) < OF pardon (n.) remission, indulgence, n. deriv. of pardoner (v.) < ML perdōnāre to remit, overlook, lit., to forgive, equiv. to L per- for- (see per- ) + dōnāre to give; see donate; ML v. perh. a trans. from Gmc


par⋅don⋅a⋅ble, adjective
par⋅don⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun
par⋅don⋅a⋅bly, adverb
par⋅don⋅less, adjective


3. absolution, remission. Pardon, amnesty, reprieve are nouns referring to the cancellation, or delay with the possibility of eventual cancellation, of a punishment or penalty assigned for the violation of a military regulation or a civil law; absolution from guilt is not implied, merely a remission of the penalty. A pardon is granted to an individual, often by the action of a government official such as a governor, president, or monarch, and releases the individual from any punishment due for the infraction of the law, as a death sentence, prison term, or fine: to be released from prison with a full pardon. An amnesty is a pardon granted to a group of persons for past offenses against a government; it often includes an assurance of no future prosecution: to grant amnesty to political prisoners; an amnesty period for delinquent taxpayers during which no penalties are assessed. A reprieve is a delay of impending punishment, especially a death sentence; it does not cancel or remit the punishment, it simply delays it, usually for a specific period of time or until a decision can be arrived at as to the possibility of pardon or reduction of sentence: a last-minute reprieve, allowing the filing of an appeal to the Supreme Court. 6. acquit, clear. See excuse. 7. forgive, absolve, condone, overlook.


5. censure, blame.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

pardon  (n.)
c.1290, "papal indulgence," from O.Fr. pardonner "to grant, forgive," from V.L. *perdonare "to give wholeheartedly, to remit," from L. per- "through, thoroughly" + donare "give, present." Meaning "passing over an offense without punishment is from c.1300; strictly legal sense is from 1328, in Anglo-Fr. Weaker sense of "excuse for a minor fault" is attested from 1548. The verb is first recorded c.1430.
" 'I grant you pardon,' said Louis XV to Charolais, who, to divert himself, had just killed a man; 'but I also pardon whoever will kill you.' " [de Sade]
Pardon my French as exclamation of apology for obscene language is from 1895. A pardoner (1362) was a man licensed to sell papal pardons or indulgences.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: par·don
Function: noun
1 : a release from the legal penalties of an offense
2 : an official warrant of remission of penalty as an act of clemency —compare COMMUTE
3 : excuse or forgiveness for a fault or offense —pardon transitive verb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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