remit

Remit is a word with several related meanings in English. As a noun, it denotes the scope of authority or responsibility assigned to a person or body; for example, “the committee's remit includes public health and safety.”

As a verb, remit has several distinct senses: to send money as payment—often used in international finance as “to remit funds.” To remit a debt or penalty means to cancel, reduce, or refrain from enforcing it; for example, “the lender agreed to remit the late fee” or “the court remitted part of the sentence.” It can also mean to refer a case, task, or responsibility to another body, as in “the case was remitted to a higher court” or “the matter was remitted to the human resources department.”

Historically, the term comes from Latin remittere “to send back” through Old French remittre and into English; the common phrase “within the remit of” expresses scope or jurisdiction. In British English, remit is widely used for both the scope of duties and for legal or financial actions; in American English, remittance is more common for money transfers, while remit in the sense of scope is understood but less frequent.

Remittance, a related noun, specifically refers to money sent, typically by a person in one country to another, and is a frequent term in international finance and migration contexts.