## Meanings
1. Forgiveness for something wrong that someone has done.
2. To forgive someone for something they have done.
3. An official decision to free a criminal or cancel their punishment.
4. To officially forgive someone for a crime.

## Examples
- He begged his father for pardon.
- Please pardon me for being late.
- The president granted the prisoner a full pardon.
- The governor pardoned several prisoners before leaving office.

## Derived Forms
- pardonable
- pardonee
- pardoner
- pardongate
- pardonless
- pardonmonger
- prepardon
- self-pardon
- unpardonable
- unpardoning

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gʰebʰ-
- Root: pardonen
- Root: pardoner
- Root: perdonare

## Etymology
From Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), from *fir- + *geban. Akin to Old High German fargeban, firgeban (“to forgive”), Old English forġiefan (“to forgive”). More at forgive.

## AI Etymology
Pardon comes from Middle English pardonen, from Old French pardoner (modern French pardonner), from Late Latin perdonare, from per- + donare, possibly a calque (if not vice-versa) of a Germanic word represented by Frankish *firgeban (“to forgive, give up completely”), from *fir- + *geban. Akin to Old High German fargeban, firgeban (“to forgive”), Old English forġiefan (“to forgive”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-, Middle English pardonen, Old French pardoner, and la-lat perdonare. Modern senses include forgiveness for something wrong that someone has done and to forgive someone for something they have done. The wider word family includes derivatives such as pardonable, pardonee, pardoner, pardongate, pardonless, and pardonmonger.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice

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