Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “amnesty” come from?

Amnesty comes from Middle French amnestie, from Latin amnestia, from Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, derived from the Ancient Greek suffix -ῐ́ᾱ.

amnesty (English): Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong;...

Definitions

  1. Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong;...

Ancestry of “amnesty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchamnestie—
2Latinamnēstia—
3Ancient Greekἀμνηστίαforgetfulness; failure to mention , passing over
4Ancient Greekᾰ̓́μνηστοςforgotten, forgetful

Words derived from “amnesty”

  • amnestic
  • amnestied
  • antiamnesty
  • amnestically
Every word from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́μνηστος →