From Middle English forgiveness, forgifnes, from Old English forġiefnes, equivalent to forgive + -ness.

• (RP) IPA: /fəˈɡɪvnəs/
• (America) IPA: /fɚˈɡɪvnəs/

forgiveness (uncountable)

1. The action of forgiving.

   He begged for forgiveness after being caught stealing from the shop.

2. Readiness to forgive.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Psalms 130:3–4 ↗:

     If thou, Lord, shouldest marke iniquities: O Lord, who shal stand? But there is forgiuenesse with thee: that thou mayest be feared.

   • 1931, Mahatma Gandhi, Young India:

     The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

• (action of forgiving) remission
• (readiness to forgive) mercy

• French: pardon
• German: Verzeihung, Vergebung
• Italian: perdono
• Portuguese: perdão
• Russian: проще́ние
• Spanish: perdón

• German: Versöhnlichkeit, Nachsicht
• Russian: снисходи́тельность
• Spanish: misericordia