forfeit
Etymology
Etymology
From Middle English forfait from ca.
Pronunciation Nounforfeit
- A penalty for or consequence of a misdemeanor.
- 1629, John Milton, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity:
- That he our deadly forfeit should release
- A thing forfeited; that which is taken from somebody in requital of a misdeed committed; that which is lost, or the right to which is alienated, by a crime, breach of contract, etc.
- He who murders pays the forfeit of his own life.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene i]:
- Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal / Remit thy other forfeits.
- Something deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine as part of a game.
- (Can we date this quote?), [Oliver Goldsmith], [Oliver Goldsmith]}
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- Country dances and forfeits shortened the rest of the day.
title = The Vicar of Wakefield: […] volume = !(please specify |volume=I or II) location = Salisbury, Wiltshire publisher = […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […] year = 1766 page = pages = pageurl = https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-vicar-of-wakefield-_goldsmith-oliver_1766__1/page//mode/1up oclc = 21416084 newversion = location2 = publisher2 = year2 = page2 = pages2 = pageurl2 = oclc2 = textparam = 4 allowparams = year,volume,1,chapter,2,page,3,pageref,pages }}
- (obsolete, rare) Injury; wrong; mischief.
Translations- a. 1789, Barry St. Leger, Siege of Nicopolis
- to seek arms upon people and country that never did us any forfeit
- German: Strafe
- Portuguese: penalidade
- Russian: распла́та
- Spanish: penalización
forfeit (forfeits, present participle forfeiting; simple past and past participle forfeited)
- To suffer the loss of something by wrongdoing or non-compliance
- He forfeited his last chance of an early release from jail by repeatedly attacking another inmate.
- To lose a contest, game, match, or other form of competition by voluntary withdrawal, by failing to attend or participate, or by violation of the rules
- Because only nine players were present, the football team was forced to forfeit the game.
- To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
- To fail to keep an obligation.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene i]:
- I will have the heart of him if he forfeit.
- (law) Of government officials: to legally remove property from its previous owners.
- (lose a contest) capitulate, surrender, disqualify
- (voluntarily give up) forgo, withgo
- French: perdre, démériter
- German: verwirken, einbüßen
- Portuguese: perder
- Russian: утра́чивать
- Spanish: perder, desmerecer, desistir
- French: abandonner, déclarer forfait
- German: aufgeben
- Portuguese: render-se, desistir, abandonar
- Russian: сдава́ться
- Spanish: (se) rendir, abandonar
forfeit (not comparable)
- Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
- 1867, Ralph Waldo Emerson, May-Day:
- to tread the forfeit paradise
- German: verwirkt
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