forgiveness

English

Etymology

From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġifnes, forġiefnes, forġiefennes (“forgiveness, remission, indulgence, permission”, literally “forgivenness”), equivalent to forgiven +‎ -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.

Noun

forgiveness (usually uncountable, plural forgivenesses)

  1. The action of forgiving.
    • Mahatma Gandhi
      The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
  2. Readiness to forgive.

Synonyms

Translations

References
  • forgiveness in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.