excuser

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɛk.sky.ze/^[1]
• IPA (colloquial): /ɛs.ky.ze/^[1]

Forms

excuser^[1] Old French escuser, excuser from about 1398 (Ménagier de Paris).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin excūsō (“to excuse, justify, exonerate”), properly “to put out of the case”, from ex- and causa (“cause, reason; lawsuit”).^{[4][3][5][6][7]} The word is thus related to cause, chose and accuser.^[3][8]

Compare Occitan escusar, Spanish excusar and Italian scusare.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the first half of the 12th century, in the Oxford Psalter, as escuser, meaning “to justify (something) by alleging excuses”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

About 1190 it meant to clear someone of a charge by accepting reasons that justify the fault.^[3][2] About 1274 it meant “to shelter from blame or punishment”, and in 1283 (Beaumanoir) a thing could excuser someone: sei aager l'escuseroit “his age would excuse him”.^[4] In the 16th century s'excuser meant “to beg off, decline”, whence Racine's “to accept someone's reasons for not doing something” (1668).^[3][4]

Excusez-moi became a polite formula, s'excuser “to apologize” is recorded in 1690 but spread only in the 19th century.^[3] Purists prefer je vous prie de m'excuser to je m'excuse.^[3] The noun excuse dates from the 14th century and excusable from about 1300.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Escuser in the Oxford Psalter.^[4][3]
• c. 1274 – “To shelter from blame”, in Adenet le Roi.^[4]
• 1283 – Of a thing, “to serve as an excuse”, in Beaumanoir.^[4]
• c. 1300 – Excusable.^[5]
• 14th century – The noun excuse.^[5]
• 1668 – “To let off”, in Racine's Plaideurs.^[4]
• 1690 – S'excuser “to apologize”.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To excuse, forgive: excusez-moi, excusez mon retard.^[9][1]
2. To try to justify, defend: il cherche à l'excuser.^[9][10]
3. (of a thing) To serve as an excuse for: rien n'excuse sa conduite.^[10]
4. To exempt from an obligation: se faire excuser.^[9]
5. S'excuser: to apologize.^[3][11]

Word family

• excusable
• excuse

Related words

• cause
• accuser
• inexcusable

Usage notes

Je m'excuse is common but criticized by purists, and is also used ironically before a criticism.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 286a
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)