pardoner

American

[pahr-dn-er] / ˈpɑr dn ər /

noun

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

pardoner British

/ ˈpɑːdənə /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pardoner

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He next succeeded in obtaining the patronage of a pardoner who travelled from place to place selling indulgences and relics.

From Legends & Romances of Spain by Spence, Lewis

Death the liberator, the deliverer, the pardoner, the peace-maker!

From The Manxman A Novel - 1895 by Caine, Hall, Sir

It is my holy mission to be a sompnour or pardoner.

From The White Company by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

I stopped a fat pardoner riding apace for Holywood.

From The Black Arrow by Stevenson, Robert Louis

Nay, be you pardoner or cheat, Or cogger keen, or mumper shy, You'll burn your fingers at the feat, And howl like other folks that fry.

From Ballads in Blue China by Lang, Andrew

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023