Word of the Day: Amnesty

Good afternoon! Just a few more hours until the weekend! The word of the day is

- Amnesty -

pronounced [am-nuh-stee]

noun

1. a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.

2. Law . an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.

3. a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.

verb (used with object)

4. to grant amnesty to; pardon.

Origin

"pardon of past offenses," 1570s, from Fr. amnestie "intentional overlooking," from L. amnestia, from Gk. amnestia "oblivion," from a-, privative prefix, "not," + mnestis "remembrance," related to mnaomai "I remember" (see mind (n.)). Amnesty International founded 1961 as Appeal

for Amnesty. The name was changed 1963.

Synonym
pardon

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amnesty

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