Repent

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpɛnt/

Definitions

1. To feel deep regret or sorrow for past misdeeds ; to decide to abandon a wrongful behavior or intention
2. To experience remorse for actions previously done ; to resolve to alter one’s approach to avoid repeating such acts
3. To express sincere contrition for wrongs committed ; to turn away from a bad course and adopt a new mindset

Etymology: The English verb "repent" travels through a long chain of Latin words, and its core idea of regret comes from the Latin "paenitere," "to cause regret" or "to make someone sorry." Passing into Old French as "repentir," it gained the prefix "re-" meaning "again," so the sense became going back over a past wrong with sorrow. English took it up in the Middle Ages as "repenten," and it has carried that moral weight ever since. The second source entry is a separate word that happens to look identical. Latin "rēpēns," from "rēpō" meaning "to creep," gave the English "repent" in its botanical sense, describing a plant that creeps along the ground and roots at its nodes. That sense is not connected to regret, so the two meanings share a spelling by coincidence rather than by descent.

Synonyms: regret, atonement, contrition

Antonyms: persist, continue