Word of the day: Resipiscence

Resipiscence

[REH-sih-PIH-səns]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Middle French, 16th century

Repentance combining acknowledgment of wrongdoing and wish to do better in the future.

Examples of resipiscence in a sentence

"When I realized how I had offended my colleague, I immediately expressed my resipiscence."

"Morton expressed resipiscence for the wild behavior of his younger days."

About Resipiscence

“Resipiscence” is taken directly from a Middle French word based on the Latin “resipīscere,” meaning “to come to one's senses.”

Did you Know?

Forgiveness does not require resipiscence, but a show of repentance and a desire to do better can certainly encourage the wronged party to put the past behind them. For example, Earlonne Woods was sentenced in 1997 to decades in San Quentin State Prison after a series of robberies and kidnappings. Over his time in prison, he began to express resipiscence for his actions and the harm he caused to others, and he became the host of the podcast “Ear Hustle,” about life inside the prison. After he expressed his resipiscence and took responsibility for the crimes, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence and released him from prison in 2018.