To forfeit something is to lose it or give it up, often because you broke a rule or failed to do something. A forfeit is the thing that is lost or the penalty you must pay.
From Old French “forfet” meaning “crime” or “misdeed,” and earlier Latin “foris facere” meaning “to act outside the law.” It originally focused on wrongdoing, then shifted to the loss or penalty that followed.
Forfeit is about consequences built into the rules: you don’t ‘choose’ to lose; the loss happens automatically. Games, sports, and contracts secretly run on forfeits—they’re the hidden teeth that make rules matter.
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