Etymograph

English

forgive

Forgive comes from Middle English foryiven ‘to forgive’, from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną ‘to give away’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-‘to give, move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-e-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gebaną‘to give’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fragebaną‘to give away’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fragebanreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150forġiefan‘to forgive, to give’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foryiven‘to forgive’
  8. Englishearliest quotation a. 1768forgive

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-‘to give, move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-e-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gebaną‘to give’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fragebaną‘to give away’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fragebanreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150forġiefan‘to forgive, to give’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foryiven‘to forgive’
  8. Englishearliest quotation a. 1768forgive

Earliest quotation: a. 1768, Laurence Sterne: “The brave know only how to forgive […] A…”

Formed from for- + give

Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘before, in front of’

Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’

Proto-West Germanic *fra- ‘forms verbs with the sense of "away from" or…’

English for-

Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- ‘to give’

Proto-Germanic *gebaną ‘to give’

Proto-West Germanic *geban ‘to give’

Old English ġiefan ‘to give’

Middle English yiven ‘to give’

English give

The story

Alteration (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, forȝiven, from Old English forġiefan (‘to forgive, to give’), from Proto-West Germanic *frageban, from Proto-Germanic *fragebaną (‘to give away; give up; release; forgive’), equivalent to for- + give (etymologically for- + yive).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- ‘to give, move’

hydrocephalus, cephalic, 17 more

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-e-ti

gavel, 1 more

through Proto-Germanic *gebaną ‘to give’

gave, gift, 6 more

Today it means

verb To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- / forgive

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