remit

[ verb, noun ri-mit; noun also ree-mit ]
See synonyms for: remitremittedremitting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),re·mit·ted, re·mit·ting.
  1. to transmit or send (money, a check, etc.) to a person or place, usually in payment.

  2. to refrain from inflicting or enforcing, as a punishment, sentence, etc.

  1. to refrain from exacting, as a payment or service.

  2. to pardon or forgive (a sin, offense, etc.).

  3. to slacken; abate; relax: to remit watchfulness.

  4. to give back: to remit an overpayment.

  5. Law. to send back (a case) to an inferior court for further action.

  6. to put back into a previous position or condition.

  7. to put off; postpone; defer.

  8. Obsolete. to set free; release.

  9. Obsolete. to send back to prison or custody.

  10. Obsolete. to give up; surrender.

verb (used without object),re·mit·ted, re·mit·ting.
  1. to transmit money, a check, etc., as in payment.

  2. to abate for a time or at intervals, as a fever.

  1. to slacken; abate.

noun
  1. Law. a transfer of the record of an action from one tribunal to another, particularly from an appellate court to the court of original jurisdiction.

  2. something remitted, as for further deliberation or action.

  1. the act of remitting.

  2. Chiefly British. the area of authority of a person or group.

Origin of remit

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English remitten, from Latin remittere “to send back, let go back, concede, allow,” equivalent to re- “again; back” + mittere “to send”; see re-

word story For remit

The verb remit comes directly from Latin remittere “to send back, go back, return, release, let go,….” (The many Latin senses of remittere cover four and a half columns in the Oxford Latin Dictionary).
From its earliest appearance in Middle English, this verb had three main categories of meaning: surrender or forgiveness; ceasing or diminishing; referring or sending. The specific sense “to send money” appeared about 1543. The British noun sense “the area of authority of a person or group” dates from the second half of the 19th century.

Other words for remit

Opposites for remit

Other words from remit

  • re·mit·ta·ble, adjective
  • non·re·mit·ta·ble, adjective
  • non·re·mit·ta·bly, adverb
  • pre·re·mit, verb (used with object), pre·re·mit·ted, pre·re·mit·ting.
  • un·re·mit·ta·ble, adjective

Words Nearby remit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use remit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for remit

remit

verb(rɪˈmɪt) -mits, -mitting or -mitted (mainly tr)
  1. (also intr) to send (money, payment, etc), as for goods or service, esp by post

  2. law (esp of an appeal court) to send back (a case or proceeding) to an inferior court for further consideration or action

  1. to cancel or refrain from exacting (a penalty or punishment)

  2. (also intr) to relax (pace, intensity, etc) or (of pace or the like) to slacken or abate

  3. to postpone; defer

  4. archaic to pardon or forgive (crime, sins, etc)

noun(ˈriːmɪt, rɪˈmɪt)
  1. the area of authority or responsibility of an individual or a group: by taking that action, the committee has exceeded its remit

  2. law the transfer of a case from one court or jurisdiction to another, esp from an appeal court to an inferior tribunal

  1. the act of remitting

  2. something remitted

  3. NZ a proposal from a branch of an organization put forward for discussion at the annual general meeting

Origin of remit

1
C14: from Latin remittere to send back, release, re- + mittere to send

Derived forms of remit

  • remittable, adjective

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