forfeit

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To lose or give up something as a penalty for a mistake or wrongdoing.

   You have forfeited your right to choose your own successor.

2. 2
   verb

   To lose a game or contest by withdrawing or failing to take part.

   With only nine players present, the team was forced to forfeit the game.

3. 3
   noun

   A penalty in which something is lost or given up.

   The contract specified a forfeit if the work was not completed on time.

From Middle English forfait from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait (“crime”), originally the past participle of forfaire (“to transgress”), and Medieval Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.

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