apologize

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈpɒləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ (UK); /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from apology and -ize,^[2][3] after Greek ἀπολογίζομαι (apologízesthai, “to give an account”), from apologos (see apologue);^[4][5] NODE notes that in English the verb has always been used as if derived from apology.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To speak in defence or justification of something: 1596 in MWU, 1597 in the OED, the 1590s in Etymonline.^[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

The Greek verb meant simply to give an account.^[2] To acknowledge a fault regretfully, the main modern sense, is attested by 1725.^[2]

Timeline

• 1596 – to speak in defence.^[3]
• 1725 – to express regret.^[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To express regret for a wrong or offence; to say sorry.
2. To make a formal defence or justification.

Word family

• apologizer
• reapologize
• unapologizing
• apologist

Related words

• apology
• apologetics
• apologetic
• apologia
• logic

Usage notes

British English also spells it apologise.^[5][7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins