Etymologically
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excuse

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: noun /ɪkˈskjuːs/; verb /ɪkˈskjuːz/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English escusen, later excusen,[2] borrowed from Old French escuser (“to apologize, make excuses; pardon”) (1190, modern excuser),[2][3] from Latin excūsāre (“to release from a charge, plead as an excuse”),[3][2][4] from ex “out, away” and causa “accusation, legal action”,[3][2][4] the source of cause.[3][2] The noun is from Old French excuse, from the verb.[2][3] The noun is pronounced with s, the verb with z, by analogy with pairs such as use and abuse.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To try to clear someone from blame: before 1225 in the OED, about 1225 in Barnhart, in the Ancrene Riwle,[6][2] the mid-13th century in Etymonline.[3] The noun: about 1374 in the OED, about 1375 in Barnhart, in Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

To forgive, to accept another's plea, is from the early 14th century,[3] and to obtain release from an obligation or duty from the mid-14th century, as in excuse oneself.[3][5] To serve as a justification for is from the 1530s.[3][5] The noun first meant a pretext or justification (late 14th century),[3] and a reason for being excused from the mid-15th century;[3] the earlier noun was excusation.[3] A release from an obligation is from 1577.[6] An inferior example, as a poor excuse for a meal, and a note explaining an absence are later American senses.[7][8] Excusable is from about 1385, in Chaucer.[2]

Timeline

  • a. 1225 – verb, to clear from blame.[6][2]
  • early 14th century – to forgive.[3]
  • mid-14th century – to release from a duty.[3]
  • c. 1374 – noun.[6]
  • c. 1385 – excusable.[2]
  • 1530s – to serve as justification.[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To forgive or pardon: excuse my rudeness.
  2. To give an explanation in the hope of being forgiven or understood.
  3. To serve as a justification for.
  4. To release from a duty or obligation.
  5. excuse me: used to apologize, interrupt or ask someone to repeat something.

Noun

  1. An explanation given to justify a fault or get forgiveness.
  2. A reason or pretext.
  3. (US) A note explaining an absence.
  4. (informal) An inferior example: a poor excuse for a teacher.

Word family

  • excusable
  • excusableness
  • excusably
  • excuser
  • excusal
  • excuseless
  • excusingly
  • excusive

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster