KJV Dictionary Definition: pardon

pardon

P`ARDON, v.t. L. per and dono, to give; per having the sense of the English for in forgive, and re in L. remitto, properly to give back or away.

1. To forgive; to remit; as an offense or crime. Guilt implies a being bound or subjected to censure, penalty or punishment. To pardon, is to give up this obligation, and release the offender. We apply the word to the crime or to the person. We pardon an offense, when we remove it from the offender and consider him as not guilty; we pardon the offender, when we release or absolve him from his liability to suffer punishment.

I pray thee, pardon my sin. 1 Sam.15.

2. To remit, as a penalty.

I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.

3. To excuse, as for a fault.

4. Pardon me, is a phrase used when one asks for excuse, or makes an apology, and it is often used in this sense, when a person means civilly to deny or contradict what another affirms.

P`ARDON, n. Forgiveness; the release of an offense or of the obligation of the offender to suffer a penalty, or to bear the displeasure of the offended party. We seek the pardon of sins, transgressions and offenses.

1. Remission of a penalty. An amnesty is a general pardon.

2. Forgiveness received.

pardonable

P`ARDONABLE, a. That may be pardoned; applied to persons. The offender is pardonable.

1. Venial; excusable; that may be forgiven, overlooked or passed by; applied to things; as a pardonable offense.

pardonableness

P`ARDONABLENESS, n. The quality of being pardonable; venialness; susceptibility of forgiveness; as the pardonableness of sin.

pardonably

P`ARDONABLY, adv. In a manner admitting of pardon; venially; excusably.

pardoned

P`ARDONED, pp. Forgiven; excused.

pardoner

P`ARDONER, n. One that forgives; one that absolves an offender.

1. One that sells the pope's indulgences.

pardoning

P`ARDONING, ppr. Forgiving; remitting an offense or crime; absolving from punishment.

Definitions from Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.
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