Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A general pardon granted by a government.
  • transitive verb To grant a general pardon to.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A forgetting or overlooking; an act of oblivion; specifically, a general pardon or conditional offer of pardon of offenses or of a class of offenses against a government, or the proclamation of such pardon.
  • noun Synonyms Absolution, etc. See pardon, n.
  • pret. and pp. amnestied, ppr. amnestying. [⟨ amnesty, n.] To grant an amnesty to; pardon.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong; oblivion.
  • noun An act of the sovereign power granting oblivion, or a general pardon, for a past offense, as to subjects concerned in an insurrection.
  • transitive verb To grant amnesty to.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong; oblivion.
  • noun An act of the sovereign power granting oblivion, or a general pardon, for a past offense, as to subjects concerned in an insurrection.
  • verb To grant a pardon (to a group)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
  • noun the formal act of liberating someone
  • noun a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
  • verb grant a pardon to (a group of people)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin amnēstia, from Greek amnēstiā; see amnesia.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French amnestie (French amnistie), from Latin amnestia, from Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, from ἀ- ("privative") + μνήμη (remembrance, reminiscence).

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Examples

  • Is that still where the line is drawn on the term amnesty or are there shades of gray?

    Arizona, Washington, and the Failure of Comprehensive Legislation | RedState 2010

  • The term amnesty comes from the 1986 immigration bill, supported and signed by Ronald Reagan, which gave many illegal immigrants in the United States immediate permanent residency — green cards — with few requirements, a tiny fee and a fast-tracked application process.

    America's New Know-Nothings 2007

  • M. O'BRIEN: I think we should note that the term amnesty was not used in that question.

    CNN Transcript Apr 25, 2006 2006

  • In particular, Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann have hurled at Mr. Gingrich the word "amnesty" - an inflammatory one in this context - during a debate on Tuesday, as if he had proposed a sweeping forgiveness of all illegal immigrants.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 2011

  • Fear of the label "amnesty" for this kind of legislation is an unacceptable excuse for inaction by Congress especially when the future of America's youth is at stake.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • Fear of the label "amnesty" for this kind of legislation is an unacceptable excuse for inaction by Congress - especially when the future of America's youth is at stake.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • Falana in an interview after the sitting which journalists were allowed to cover for the first time, described Okah's release as a welcome development but defended his stance in opposing the term amnesty, reaffirming that what the constitution recognises was pardon or prerogative of mercy and not amnesty.

    AllAfrica News: Latest 2009

  • Falana in an interview after the sitting which journalists were allowed to cover for the first time, described Okah's release as a welcome development but defended his stance in opposing the term amnesty, reaffirming that what the constitution recognises was pardon or prerogative of mercy and not amnesty.

    AllAfrica News: Latest 2009

  • Falana in an interview after the sitting which journalists were allowed to cover for the first time, described Okah's release as a welcome development but defended his stance in opposing the term amnesty, reaffirming that what the constitution recognises was pardon or prerogative of mercy and not amnesty.

    AllAfrica News: Latest 2009

  • Falana in an interview after the sitting which journalists were allowed to cover for the first time, described Okah's release as a welcome development but defended his stance in opposing the term amnesty, reaffirming that what the constitution recognises was pardon or prerogative of mercy and not amnesty.

    AllAfrica News: Latest 2009

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