pardon
exclamation/ˈpɑːdn/
/ˈpɑːrdn/
- (also pardon me especially in North American English)used to ask somebody to repeat something because you did not hear it or did not understand it
- ‘You're very quiet today.’ ‘Pardon?’ ‘I said you're very quiet today.’
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- (also pardon me)used by some people to say ‘sorry’ when they have said or done something wrong, usually by accident
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French pardun (noun), pardoner (verb), from medieval Latin perdonare ‘concede, remit’, from per- ‘completely’ + donare ‘give’.
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