Remitten

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic past participle of remit, describing something that has been pardoned, forgiven, or sent back to a former state or place
2. Old-fashioned past form of remit, used of a debt, sin, or payment that has been forgiven or returned
3. A rare, obsolete participle of remit, indicating that a fault has been pardoned or a sum has been sent back

Etymology: Before "remit" took its modern shape, Middle English speakers used "remitten", a verb taken from Latin "remittere". That Latin verb joined "re-" ("back") and "mittere" ("to send"), and its senses spread out in several directions: to send back, to let go, to slacken. Those branches explain why the descendants look so unrelated. Letting go led to forgiving, so a debt or a sin could be "remitted", meaning pardoned. Sending back led to handing a matter over to someone else, and to sending money to a person elsewhere. Slackening gave the sense of easing off, as in a fever that remits, and it also lies behind "remiss", meaning lax or careless. The "mittere" half of the word also appears in "mission", "message", "submit" and "permit".

Synonyms: forgive, pardon, transmit, send

Antonyms: withhold, retain