different between repent vs forgive

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin *repoenitere, from re- + a late derivative of poenitere (“be penitent”), alteration of Latin paenitere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???p?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Verb

repent (third-person singular simple present repents, present participle repenting, simple past and past participle repented)

1. (intransitive) To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".
2. (theology, intransitive) To be sorry for sin as morally evil, and to seek forgiveness; to cease to practice sin and to love.
3. (transitive) To feel pain on account of; to remember with sorrow.
4. (transitive) To be sorry for, to regret.

5. (archaic, transitive) To cause to have sorrow or regret.

   • at that time she wolde nat, she seyde, for she was syke and myght nat ryde. "That me repentith," seyde the kynge […].
6. (obsolete, reflexive) To cause (oneself) to feel pain or regret.
   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Again?t venemous tongues enpoy?oned with ?claunder and fal?e detractions &c.:

     But if that I knewe what his name hight,
     For clatering of me I would him ?one quight;
     For his fal?e lying, of that I ?pake never,
     I could make him ?hortly repent him forever: […]

Synonyms

• afterthink
• regret
• rue

Derived terms

• marry in haste, repent at leisure

Related terms

• penance
• repentance
• repentant
• penitence
• penitent
• unrepentable

Translations

Etymology 2

From Latin r?p?ns, present participle of r?p? (“I creep”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??i?p?nt/

Adjective

repent

1. (chiefly botany) Creeping along the ground.

Synonyms

• reptant

References

• repent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• repent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

French

Verb

repent

1. third-person singular present indicative of repentir

Latin

Verb

r?pent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of r?p?

English

Etymology

Alternation (due to give) of Middle English foryiven, for?iven, from Old English for?iefan (“to forgive, give up, provide”), from Proto-Germanic *frageban? (“to give away; give up; release; forgive”), equivalent to for- +? give (etymologically for- + yive). Cognate with Scots forgeve, forgif, forgie (“to forgive”), West Frisian ferjaan (“to forgive”), Dutch vergeven (“to forgive”), German vergeben (“to forgive”), Icelandic fyrirgefa (“to forgive”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: f?r-g?v', fôr-g?v', IPA^(key): /f?(?)???v/, /f??(?)???v/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f????v/
• Rhymes: -?v

Verb

forgive (third-person singular simple present forgives, present participle forgiving, simple past forgave, past participle forgiven)

1. (transitive) To pardon; to waive any negative feeling or desire for punishment, retribution, or compensation.

2. (intransitive) To accord forgiveness.
   • a. 1768, Laurence Sterne, Joseph's History considered; - Forgiveness of Injuries (sermon)

     The brave know only how to forgive […] A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.

Derived terms

• forgivable
• forgiveness
• forgiveworthy

Translations

References

• forgive in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• forgive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.