forgive
/fərˈɡɪv/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*fragebaną — to give away, forgive, release
Overview
Meaning Now
- To grant pardon for a fault or offense; to absolve.
- To cease to feel resentment against an offender; to give up desire for punishment.
Literal older meaning
to give away or to give up
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → West Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
forġiefan
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The verb was originally a standard compound in Germanic languages. The prefix 'for-' historically carried a sense of completion or away, leading to the meaning of 'giving away' an offense rather than holding onto it.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*fragebaną
“to give away or release”
Compound of *fra- (away/off) and *gebaną (to give).
- Old English
forġiefan
“to forgive, pardon, give”
Inherited directly from West Germanic.
- Middle English
forȝiven
“to pardon”
Shifted spelling due to orthographic changes in the Middle English period.
- Modern English
forgive
“to grant pardon”
Standardized spelling.
Connections
Word parts
for-
prefix
away, completely, or in a negative sense
give
root
to transfer possession
Related across languages
German
vergeben
to forgive
Dutch
vergeven
to forgive
Icelandic
fyrirgefa
to forgive
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.