a. Capable of being forgiven; pardonable; venial. Sherwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. Forgave p. p. Forgiven p. pr. & vb. n. Forgiving ] [ OE. forgiven, foryiven, foryeven, AS. forgiefan, forgifan; perh. for- + giefan, gifan to give; cf. D. vergeven, G. vergeben, Icel. fyrirgefa, Sw. f&unr_;rgifva, Goth. fragiban to give, grant. See For-, and Give, v. t. ] 1. To give wholly; to make over without reservation; to resign. [ 1913 Webster ]

To them that list the world's gay shows I leave,
And to great ones such folly do forgive. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of (an offense or wrong); to remit the penalty of; to pardon; -- said in reference to the act forgiven. [ 1913 Webster ]

And their sins should be forgiven them. Mark iv. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

He forgive injures so readily that he might be said to invite them. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To cease to feel resentment against, on account of wrong committed; to give up claim to requital from or retribution upon (an offender); to absolve; to pardon; -- said of the person offending. [ 1913 Webster ]

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke xxiii. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

I as free forgive you, as I would be fforgiven. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Sometimes both the person and the offense follow as objects of the verb, sometimes one and sometimes the other being the indirect object. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Matt. vi. 12. “Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Matt. ix. 2.

Syn. -- See excuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. forgifnes. ] 1. The act of forgiving; the state of being forgiven; as, the forgiveness of sin or of injuries. [ 1913 Webster ]

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses. Dan. ix. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

In whom we have . . . the forgiveness of sin. Eph. i. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Disposition to pardon; willingness to forgive. [ 1913 Webster ]

If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Ps. cxxx. 3, 4.

Syn. -- Pardon, remission. -- Forgiveness, Pardon. Forgiveness is Anglo-Saxon, and pardon Norman French, both implying a giving back. The word pardon, being early used in our Bible, has, in religious matters, the same sense as forgiveness; but in the language of common life there is a difference between them, such as we often find between corresponding Anglo-Saxon and Norman words. Forgive points to inward feeling, and suppose alienated affection; when we ask forgiveness, we primarily seek the removal of anger. Pardon looks more to outward things or consequences, and is often applied to trifling matters, as when we beg pardon for interrupting a man, or for jostling him in a crowd. The civil magistrate also grants a pardon, and not forgiveness. The two words are, therefore, very clearly distinguished from each other in most cases which relate to the common concerns of life. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who forgives. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Disposed to forgive; inclined to overlook offenses; mild; merciful; compassionate; placable; as, a forgiving temper.

-- For*giv"ing*ly, adv. -- For*giv"ing*ness, n. J. C. Shairp. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a tendency to be kind and forgiving.
Syn. -- kindness. [ WordNet 1.5 ]