Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “forgiving” come from?

Forgiving derives from Middle English foryiven, Old English forġiefan, and Proto-Germanic fragebaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- and bʰuH-.

forgiving (English): Inclined to forgive; User-friendly, such that...

Definitions

  1. Inclined to forgive; User-friendly, such that...

Ancestry of “forgiving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishforgiveTo pardon; to waive any negative feeling or...
2Middle Englishforyiven—
3Old Englishforġiefanto give up, bestow; to forgive, give up, provide
4Proto-Germanicfragebanąto give, grant; to forgive
5Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “forgiving”

  • unforgiving
  • forgivingly
  • unforgivingly
  • forgivingness
  • unforgivingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →