forgive

Etymology

Alternation (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (“to forgive, to give”), from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- + give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”).

verb

1. (transitive) To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment, retribution, or compensation.
   Please forgive me if my phone goes off - I'm expecting an urgent call from my boss.
   Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.
   Forgive a debt, that is, tell a debtor that a repayment of a loan is no longer needed.
2. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.
   The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature. a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)
3. (transitive) To look past; to look beyond.
   The music critic loves the instrumentation of the song so much that he can forgive the confusing lyrics.
4. (transitive) To redeem; to offset the bad effects of something.
   Okay, a good hook forgives everything. 2015, Todd in the Shadows, The Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2014