Remissibility

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The nature of allowing for the opportunity to pardon or excuse wrongdoing is essential in understanding this characteristic
2. The quality of being capable of pardon or excusal for an error or offense
3. The state of admitting leniency or the possibility of overlooking a fault

Etymology: Remissibility is the quality of being able to be forgiven or pardoned, and it comes from the Latin verb "remittere," meaning "to send back," "to slacken," or "to let go." Those senses explain its path into English. A debt that is remitted is sent back or released, and a sin that is remitted is let go. The adjective "remissible," meaning capable of being remitted, came first, and the noun "-ibility" was built on it using the Latin "-ibilis" suffix, which marks what can be done. The same root gave English "remiss," which now means careless or negligent. That sense comes from the Latin "remissus," "slackened" or "relaxed," so a remiss person is one whose attention has gone slack. Remit and remiss are therefore cousins: one describes letting a penalty go, the other letting one's vigilance go. Remissibility sits on the forgiveness branch of that family.