gracier

to pardon, grant clemency to

verb grah-SYEH Rare

Usage Note

Gracier is a formal legal verb meaning to grant a pardon (commute or cancel a sentence). In France, the President holds the power to gracier condemned individuals — this is called le droit de grâce. The noun is une grâce (pardon) or une mesure de grâce. It is not used for everyday social forgiveness, which is pardonner.

Examples

"Le président a gracié le prisonnier avant Noël."

Natural Translation

The president pardoned the prisoner before Christmas.

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