Forfeit Definition
fôrfĭt
forfeited, forfeiting, forfeits
verb
forfeited, forfeiting, forfeits
To lose, give up, or be deprived of as a forfeit for some crime, fault, etc.
Webster's New World
To subject to seizure as a forfeit.
American Heritage
To suffer the loss of something by wrongdoing or non-compliance.
He forfeited his last chance of an early release from jail by repeatedly attacking another inmate.
Wiktionary
To be guilty of a misdeed; to be criminal; to transgress.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
noun
forfeits
Something that is lost or given up on account of an offense, error, or failure to fulfill an agreement.
American Heritage
Something that one loses or has to give up because of some crime, fault, or neglect of duty; specif., a fine or penalty.
Webster's New World
A thing taken away as a penalty for making some mistake in a game, and redeemable by a specified action.
Webster's New World
The act of forfeiting; forfeiture.
Webster's New World
In parlor games, an item placed in escrow and redeemed by paying a fine or performing an appointed task.
American Heritage
adjective
Lost, given up, or taken away as a forfeit.
Webster's New World
Lost or alienated for an offense or crime; liable to penal seizure.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Origin of Forfeit
Middle English from ca. 1300, from Old French forfait (“crime”), originally the past participle of forfaire (“to transgress”), and Medieval Latin foris factum. During the 15th century, the sense shifted from the crime to the penalty for the crime.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English forfet crime, penalty from Old French forfait past participle of forfaire to commit a crime, act outside the law fors- beyond foreclose faire to do feasible
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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