What is "pardon"

Pardon \Par"don\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pardoned (p[aum]r"d'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Pardoning.] [Either fr. pardon, n., or from F. pardonner, LL. perdonare; L. per through, thoroughly, perfectly + donare to give, to present. See Par-, and Donation.]

1. To absolve from the consequences of a fault or the punishment of crime; to free from penalty; -- applied to the offender.

   In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant.
   --2 Kings v. 18.

   I pray you, pardon me; pray heartily, pardon me.
   --Shak.

2. To remit the penalty of; to suffer to pass without punishment; to forgive; -- applied to offenses.

   I pray thee, pardon my sin.
   --1 Sam. xv. 25.

   Apollo, pardon My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!
   --Shak.

3. To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

   I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.
   --Shak.

4. To give leave (of departure) to. [Obs.]

   Even now about it! I will pardon you.
   --Shak.

   Pardon me, forgive me; excuse me; -- a phrase used also to express courteous denial or contradiction, or to request forgiveness for a mild transgression, such as bumping a person while passing.

   Syn: To forgive; absolve; excuse; overlook; remit; acquit. See Excuse.

Pardon \Par"don\ (p[aum]r"d'n), n. [F., fr. pardonner to pardon. See Pardon, v. t.]

1. The act of pardoning; forgiveness, as of an offender, or of an offense; release from penalty; remission of punishment; absolution.

   Pardon, my lord, for me and for my tidings.
   --Shak.

   But infinite in pardon was my judge.
   --Milton.

   Usage: Used in expressing courteous denial or contradiction; as, I beg your pardon; or in indicating that one has not understood another; as, I beg pardon; or pardon me?.

2. An official warrant of remission of penalty.

   Sign me a present pardon for my brother.
   --Shak.

3. The state of being forgiven.
   --South.

4. (Law) A release, by a sovereign, or officer having jurisdiction, from the penalties of an offense, being distinguished from amnesty, which is a general obliteration and canceling of a particular line of past offenses.

   Syn: Forgiveness; remission. See Forgiveness.

late 13c., "papal indulgence," from Old French pardon, from pardoner "to grant; forgive" (11c., Modern French pardonner), "to grant, forgive," from Vulgar Latin *perdonare "to give wholeheartedly, to remit," from Latin per- "through, thoroughly" (see per) + donare "give, present" (see donation).\n

\nMeaning "passing over an offense without punishment" is from c.1300, also in the strictly ecclesiastical sense; sense of "pardon for a civil or criminal offense; release from penalty or obligation" is from late 14c. earlier in Anglo-French. Weaker sense of "excuse for a minor fault" is attested from 1540s.

mid-15c., "to forgive for offense or sin," from Old French pardoner (see pardon (n.)).\n'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.' [Marquis de Sade, "Philosophy in the Bedroom"]Related: Pardoned; pardoning. Pardon my French as exclamation of apology for obscene language is from 1895.

1. n. the act of excusing a mistake or offense [syn: forgiveness]

2. a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense [syn: amnesty]

3. the formal act of liberating someone [syn: amnesty, free pardon]

4. v. accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands" [syn: excuse]

5. grant a pardon to; "Ford pardoned Nixon"; "The Thanksgiving turkey was pardoned by the President"

A pardon is a government decision to allow a person who has been convicted of a crime, to be free and absolved of that conviction, as if never convicted.

Today, pardons are granted in many countries when individuals have demonstrated that they have fulfilled their debt to society, or are otherwise considered to be deserving. Pardons are sometimes offered to persons who are wrongfully convicted or who claim they have been wrongfully convicted. In some jurisdictions, accepting such a pardon implicitly constitutes an admission of guilt (see Burdick v. United States in the United States), so in some cases the offer is refused. Cases of wrongful conviction are nowadays more often dealt with by appeal than by pardon; however, a pardon is sometimes offered when innocence is undisputed to avoid the costs of a retrial. Clemency plays a very important role when capital punishment is applied.

Pardon is a 2005 Turkish comedy film.

A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime. It may also refer to:

A Pardon is a typically Breton form of pilgrimage and one of the most traditional demonstrations of popular Catholicism in Brittany. Of very ancient origin, probably dating back to the conversion of the country by the Celtic monks, it is comparable to the parades associated with Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland or New York.

A Pardon is a penitential ceremony. A Pardon occurs on the feast of the patron saint of a church or chapel, at which an indulgence is granted. Hence use of the word "Pardon". Pardons only occur in the traditionally Breton language speaking Western part of Brittany. They do not extend farther east than Guingamp.