Meaning of "amnesty" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD AMNESTY

From Latin amnēstia, from Greek: oblivion, from amnēstos forgetting, from a-1 + -mnēstos, from mnasthai to remember.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF AMNESTY

ˈæmnɪstɪ

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF AMNESTY

Amnesty is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb amnesty in English.

WHAT DOES AMNESTY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Amnesty

Amnesty (from the Greek ἀμνηστία amnestia (Amnesty, Wm Chrichton Μεγα Ελληνο-Αγγλικον Λεξικον 1960) is defined as: "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of persons who are subject to trial but have not yet been convicted." It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offense. Amnesty is more and more used to express "freedom" and the time when prisoners can go free. Amnesties, which in the United Kingdom may be granted by the crown or by an act of Parliament, were formerly usual on coronations and similar occasions, but are chiefly exercised towards associations of political criminals, and are sometimes granted absolutely, though more frequently there are certain specified exceptions.

Definition of amnesty in the English dictionary

The first definition of amnesty in the dictionary is a general pardon, esp for offences against a government. Other definition of amnesty is a period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution. Amnesty is also a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO AMNESTY

PRESENT

Present

I amnesty

you amnesty

he/she/it amnesties

we amnesty

you amnesty

they amnesty

Present continuous

I am amnestying

you are amnestying

he/she/it is amnestying

we are amnestying

you are amnestying

they are amnestying

Present perfect

I have amnestied

you have amnestied

he/she/it has amnestied

we have amnestied

you have amnestied

they have amnestied

Present perfect continuous

I have been amnestying

you have been amnestying

he/she/it has been amnestying

we have been amnestying

you have been amnestying

they have been amnestying

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I amnestied

you amnestied

he/she/it amnestied

we amnestied

you amnestied

they amnestied

Past continuous

I was amnestying

you were amnestying

he/she/it was amnestying

we were amnestying

you were amnestying

they were amnestying

Past perfect

I had amnestied

you had amnestied

he/she/it had amnestied

we had amnestied

you had amnestied

they had amnestied

Past perfect continuous

I had been amnestying

you had been amnestying

he/she/it had been amnestying

we had been amnestying

you had been amnestying

they had been amnestying

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will amnesty

you will amnesty

he/she/it will amnesty

we will amnesty

you will amnesty

they will amnesty

Future continuous

I will be amnestying

you will be amnestying

he/she/it will be amnestying

we will be amnestying

you will be amnestying

they will be amnestying

Future perfect

I will have amnestied

you will have amnestied

he/she/it will have amnestied

we will have amnestied

you will have amnestied

they will have amnestied

Future perfect continuous

I will have been amnestying

you will have been amnestying

he/she/it will have been amnestying

we will have been amnestying

you will have been amnestying

they will have been amnestying

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would amnesty

you would amnesty

he/she/it would amnesty

we would amnesty

you would amnesty

they would amnesty

Conditional continuous

I would be amnestying

you would be amnestying

he/she/it would be amnestying

we would be amnestying

you would be amnestying

they would be amnestying

Conditional perfect

I would have amnesty

you would have amnesty

he/she/it would have amnesty

we would have amnesty

you would have amnesty

they would have amnesty

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been amnestying

you would have been amnestying

he/she/it would have been amnestying

we would have been amnestying

you would have been amnestying

they would have been amnestying

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you amnesty
we let´s amnesty
you amnesty

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to amnesty

Past participle

amnestied

Present Participle

amnestying

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «AMNESTY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «amnesty» and belong to the same grammatical category.

absolution · absolve · acquit · clemency · condonation · condone · dispensation · exculpate · excuse · exonerate · forgive · free · immunity · let off · liberate · mercy · oblivion · overlook · pardon · release · remission · remit · reprieve

TRANSLATION OF AMNESTY

Find out the translation of amnesty to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of amnesty from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «amnesty» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 赦免
• Translator English - Spanish: amnistía
• English: amnesty
• Translator English - Hindi: एमनेस्टी
• Translator English - Arabic: العفو
• Translator English - Russian: амнистия
• Translator English - Portuguese: anistia
• Translator English - Bengali: রাজক্ষমা
• Translator English - French: amnistie
• Translator English - Malay: Pengampunan
• Translator English - German: Amnestie
• Translator English - Japanese: 恩赦
• Translator English - Korean: 사면
• Translator English - Javanese: Amnesty
• Translator English - Vietnamese: tha tội
• Translator English - Tamil: பொதுமன்னிப்பு
• Translator English - Marathi: माफी
• Translator English - Turkish: af
• Translator English - Italian: amnistia
• Translator English - Polish: amnestia
• Translator English - Ukrainian: амністія
• Translator English - Romanian: amnistie
• Translator English - Greek: αμνηστία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: amnestie
• Translator English - Swedish: amnesti
• Translator English - Norwegian: amnesti

10 QUOTES WITH «AMNESTY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word amnesty.

1

Marsha Blackburn

Republicans rejected calls for amnesty and we've fought efforts to provide illegal aliens with taxpayer funded benefits. The American people are far closer to our Republican approach to border security than they are to Nancy Pelosi's approach.

2

David Blunkett

I said it's impossible to have an amnesty without ID cards and a clean database, because you firstly don't have any incentives for people to actually come up front and register, and make themselves available, and secondly you have no means of tracking them.

3

Dave Brat

A vote for Eric Cantor is a vote for open borders. A vote for Eric Cantor is a vote for amnesty.

4

Jan Brewer

And the bottom line is, is that they are illegal aliens entering our country. And we simply cannot sustain that kind of activity. Bottom line is it's a backdoor to amnesty and I don't believe the American people support that.

5

Jan Brewer

You know, when President Reagan, who was one of my idols, granted amnesty to about three million illegal immigrants it was based on the fact that the borders would be secured. That didn't happen. It didn't happen during the Bush administration.

6

Paul Broun

These illegal aliens are criminals and we need to treat them as such. I'm not in favor of giving amnesty to anybody who has broken the law. I applaud what our Georgia legislature is doing in trying to crack down on this situation.

7

P. Chidambaram

In income tax, there is no case for amnesty.

8

Virgil Goode

Amnesty is the magnet. Other magnets that you mentioned are anchor babies who get benefits in this country and employer deductions for employees, even if they are here illegally, which Mr. King is addressing.

9

J. D. Hayworth

The American people likewise want to see enforcement first, no tricks, no triggers, no amnesty, enforcing existing laws and closing loopholes to reaffirm that our great Republic is, in fact, a nation of laws.

10

Doug Hoffman

I do not believe on giving amnesty.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «AMNESTY»

Discover the use of amnesty in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to amnesty and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Keepers of the Flame: Understanding Amnesty International

The first in-depth look at working life inside a major human rights organization.

Stephen Hopgood, 2006

Amnesty: a novel

Forced to re-examine the childhood that she has fought so hard to forget, Maura must grant herself amnesty and begin to live life on her own terms.

Louise A. Blum, 1995

Amnesty for Crimes Against Humanity Under International Law

Drawing on crystallizing trends in State's practice in respect of amnesty, this book provides a comprehensive legal framework within which grants of amnesty can be reconciled with the duty to prosecute core crimes under international law.

Faustin Z. Ntoubandi, 2007

Illegal Immigration and Amnesty: Open Borders and National ...

Provides information on illegal immigration and proposed amnesty and the different viewpoints on the issue.

Janey Levy, 2010

Transitional Amnesty in South Africa

This 2007 volume provides a comprehensive analysis of South Africa's amnesty scheme in its practical and normative dimensions.

Antje du Bois-Pedain, 2007

Amnesty International, the human rights story

Traces the twenty-year history of the London-based human rights organization, and discusses the group's major concerns for the future

Jonathan Power, 1981

Like Water on Stone: The Story of Amnesty International

Provides a historical review of Amnesty International, as well as a close-up look at the ways the organization has assisted people in their diverse struggles for human rights throughout the world.

Jonathan Power, 2001

Carrots and Sticks: The TRC and the South African Amnesty ...

This book is about the South African amnesty process.

Jeremy Sarkin-Hughes, 2004

Adenauer's Germany and the Nazi Past: The Politics of ...

Scooped! surveys the impact of tabloid journalism in America and reveals that crime news and reporting say much about a society fascinated by sleaze and violence.

Norbert Frei, 2002

Centralizing Principles: How Amnesty International Shaped ...

International relations theory has posited that transnational advocacy networks (TANs) affect international human rights norms.

Wendy H. Wong, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «AMNESTY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term amnesty is used in the context of the following news items.

Iraqi MP: proposed amnesty bill serves terrorists

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Shiite bloc in the Iraqi parliament refused to support a prisoner amnesty bill introduced by mainly Sunni MPs for a reading ... «Rudaw, Jul 15»

Greece proposes tax amnesty for funds parked in Switzerland: paper

Switzerland had suggested an amnesty program along the lines of those introduced by countries such as Italy, the paper said. The goal was to ... «Reuters, Jul 15»

Govt urged to use Section 44 for amnesty

Mr Anek claimed the amnesty for people who took part in political rallies was a move welcomed by society and if implemented quickly, it would ... «Bangkok Post, Jul 15»

Despite Widespread Praise, Victory Day Amnesty Hits Bureaucratic …

But more than two months since Russia adopted the amnesty, many thousands of prisoners continue to languish in jail, their prospects for ... «The Moscow Times, Jul 15»

Ted Cruz: Some In GOP Are For 'Amnesty' Because It's Cheap Labor

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas said the "divisive" issue of what to do about the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the United ... «NBCNews.com, Jul 15»

Make necessary changes in LBT amnesty scheme to make it …

The detailed memorandum proposing various necessary changes required in the recently announced Amnesty Scheme was prepared and ... «Nagpur Today, Jul 15»

Amnesty International calls for GCHQ inquiry after Cheltenham …

A campaign group spied on by GCHQ has called for an independent inquiry into the actions of the government's Cheltenham-based ... «Gloucestershire Echo, Jul 15»

Nigerian Army Replies Amnesty International

Abuja — The Nigerian Military High Command has responded to the Amnesty International(AI) report which accused Nigerian troops of ... «AllAfrica.com, Jul 15»

Lincoln Fire and Rescue holds firework amnesty day

Lincoln Fire and Rescue held their first ever amnesty day for fireworks. Whether legal or illegal they want your leftover fireworks. "Throughout ... «KLKN, Jul 15»

Trump Hammers Rubio: 'Zero Credibility,' 'Outright Lies' to Sell …

used to try and sell his amnesty for illegal immigrants to the American people. Hard working Americans cannot depend on Senator Rubio to ... «Breitbart News, Jul 15»