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Added 9 October 2026

penitence

noun

Latin root: paenitentia First recorded: 13th century Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. More about penitence at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Remorse for your past conduct.

Origin

First attested circa 13th century, from Middle English penitence, from Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”), from paenitēns (“penitent”), present active participle of paeniteō (“regret, repent”). Equivalent to penitent + -ence. Doublet of penance.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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