Venia

Venia is a noun of Latin origin meaning pardon, mercy, favour, or permission. In classical Latin it denotes a pardon granted to someone, a license, or the leave to do something. The term is typically declined as a feminine first‑declension noun, with veniae as its genitive form, among other endings.

The sense of permission carried into the Romance languages, where venia commonly denotes authorization or leave. In Spanish and Italian, venia is used in formal or ceremonial contexts to mean permission or authorization, as in phrases such as con la venia or con la vostra venia. In English, venia survives chiefly in formal or archaic usage as a courteous expression meaning “with your permission” or “with your leave.”

Venia also appears in academic and legal terminology. In some European traditions, venia legendi and venia docendi denote licenses to lecture or to teach at a university, reflecting the historical role of venia as authorization to proceed in scholarly or formal duties.

In religious and moral language, venia is the root of the English word venial, via Latin venialis, meaning pardonable or minor, in contrast to mortal sins. This lineage underscores venia’s association with forgiveness and forbearance in theological contexts.

Overall, venia embodies a core concept of sanction or clemency that has traveled from ancient Latin into modern European legal, academic, and religious usage, as well as into everyday forms of polite request.