Where does “forgive” come from?
Forgive comes from Middle English foryiven, from Old English forġiefan, from Proto-Germanic fragebaną and gebaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots per-, bʰuH-, and pr̥tós.
forgive (English): To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or...
Definitions
- To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or...
Ancestry of “forgive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | foryiven | to forgive |
| 2 | Old English | forġiefan | to give up, bestow; to forgive, give up, provide |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fragebaną | to give, grant; to forgive |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fra- | off, away; completely, fully, up |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |