Etymology

forgiveness

for·give·ness
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Today it means: The action of forgiving. Full definition →

Middle English forgiveness ← Old English forġiefnes ← Proto-Germanic *fragebaną
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Proto-Indo-European*pro-
  5. Proto-Germanic*fra-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*gʰebʰ-
  7. Proto-Germanic*gebaną
  8. Late Latinperdōnō
  9. Proto-Germanic*fragebaną
  10. Old Englishforġiefan
  11. Old Englishforġiefnes
  12. Middle Englishforgiveness
  13. English todayforgiveness

From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes. By surface analysis, forgive + -ness. Cognate with Dutch vergiffenis.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.