pardoner

[ pahr-dn-er ]

noun

1. a person who pardons.
2. (during the Middle Ages) an ecclesiastical official authorized to sell indulgences.

pardoner

/ ˈpɑːdənə /

noun

1. (before the Reformation) a person licensed to sell ecclesiastical indulgences

Word History and Origins

Origin of pardoner¹

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; pardon, -er ¹

Example Sentences

“It’s the best,” says one such professional racism pardoner of his job.

From Washington Post

Another survivor, the writer Jean Améry, mistaking comprehension for concession, disapprovingly called Levi “the pardoner,” though Levi repeatedly argued that he was interested in justice, not in indiscriminate forgiveness.

From The New Yorker

Like the professional pardoners of the Middle Ages who pedaled indulgences to the highest bidders, they pervert teachings for profit.

From Time

In pursuit of spiritual purity, but largely unable to resist the occasional temptation, the desperate populace turned to "pardoners" to cleanse them of their sins.

From The Guardian

A "bird pardoner" sets up snares in the trees of Rohan's garden, trapping the birds in nooses of steel wire.

From The Guardian