pardon

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.

noun

1. Forgiveness for an offence.
2. (law) An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.
   The President[…]shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
   I […] have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States […] 1974, President Gerald Ford, Proclamation 4311
   But the president's most irreversible, almost God-like power is the authority granted to him under Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, "to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses Against the United States. . . ." The power is absolute-even a serial killer could be pardoned-and utterly unreviewable. It cannot be rescinded by the next president. The president may grant a pardon before a trial, after a trial, or without a trial. Once granted, a pardon can never be taken away. 2001, Barbara Olson, “The Final Frenzy: Finishing Touches on the Legend”, in The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House (Politics/Current Affairs), Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 7

verb

1. (transitive) To forgive (a person).
2. (transitive) To refrain from exacting as a penalty.
3. (transitive, law) To grant an official pardon for a crime.

intj

1. Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.