Link Centre Dictionary

forfeit

for·feit

UK/ˈfɔː.fɪt/ US/ˈfɔɹ.fɪt/ fairly common

verb

1.

lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime

adjective

1.

noun

1.

something that is lost or surrendered as a penalty;

Synonyms
2.

a penalty for a fault or mistake that involves losing or giving up something

  • “the contract specified forfeits if the work was not completed on time”
Synonyms
3.

the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

Origin

From Middle English forfait from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait (“crime”), originally the past participle of forfaire (“to transgress”), and Medieval Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.