forgive

vt. 原谅；免除（债务、义务等）

vi. 表示原谅

中文词源

forgive 原谅

来自古英语forgiefan, 给予，允许，for-, 完全的，give, 给予，施予。用来翻译法语词pardon, 原谅。后词义由允许过渡到原谅。

forgive: forgive: [OE] Forgive is what is known technically as a ‘calque’ or loan translation – that is, it was created by taking the component parts of a foreign word, translating them literally, and then putting them back together to form a new word. In this case the foreign word was Latin perdōnāre ‘forgive’ (source of English pardon), which was a compound verb formed from per- ‘thoroughly’ and dōnāre ‘give’ (its underlying sense was ‘give wholeheartedly’). These two elements were translated in prehistoric Germanic times and assembled to give *fergeban, from which have come German vergeben, Dutch vergeven, and English forgive.
=> give
forgive (v.): Old English forgiefan "give, grant, allow; remit (a debt), pardon (an offense)," also "give up" and "give in marriage" (past tense forgeaf, past participle forgifen); from for-, here probably "completely," + giefan "give" (see give (v.)).

The sense of "to give up desire or power to punish" (late Old English) is from use of such a compound as a Germanic loan-translation of Vulgar Latin *perdonare (Old Saxon fargeban, Dutch vergeven, German vergeben "to forgive," Gothic fragiban "to grant;" and see pardon (n.)). Related: Forgave; forgiven; forgiving.

3. The American Congress has agreed to forgive Egypt's military debt.: 美国国会同意免除埃及的军事债务。

4. Would they forgive and forget — or show him the door?: 他们会既往不咎吗——还是会对他下逐客令呢？

5. Hopefully she'llunderstand and forgive you, if she really loves you.: 如果她真的爱你的话，希望她会理解并原谅你。