PARDON

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French pardun, pardoun, from parduner Date: 14th century indulgence 1, the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty, 3. a release from the legal penalties of an offense, an official warrant of remission of penalty, excuse or forgiveness for a fault, offense, or discourtesy , II. transitive verb (~ed; ~ing) see: parboil Date: 15th century 1. to absolve from the consequences of a fault or crime, to allow (an offense) to pass without punishment ; forgive , to relieve of a penalty improperly assessed, tolerate , see: excuse