Etymologically
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excuser

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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
  • 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)