Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PAR'DON, v.t. [par'dn; Fr. pardonner; It. perdonare; Sp. perdonar; Port. perdoar; L. per and dono, to give; per having the sense of the English for in forgive, and re in L. remitto, properly to give back or away.]

1. To forgive; to remit; an offense or crime. Guilt implies a being bound or subjected to censure, penalty or punishment. To pardon, is to give up this obligation, and release the offender. We apply the word to the crime or to the person. We pardon an offense, when we remove it from the offender and consider him as not guilty; we pardon the offender, we release or absolve him from his liability to suffer punishment. I implore thee, pardon my sin. – 1 Sam. xv.
2. To remit, as a penalty. I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it. – Shak.
3. To excuse, as for a fault. – Dryden.
4. Pardon me, is a phrase used when one asks for excuse, or makes an apology, and it is often used in this sense, when a person means civilly to deny or contradict what another affirms.