Etymologically
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scusa

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Pronunciation

Forms

scusa f (plural scuse)[1] Old forms include Old Italian iscusa, Old Italian scusia and Old Italian scuxa.[2] Zingarelli also records an obsolete escusa.[3]

Etymology

It is a noun formed from Italian scusare + -a, from the verb meaning “to excuse”.[4][5][6][2]

The verb comes from Latin excūsō (“to excuse, plead in excuse”), formed from causa (“cause; lawsuit”) with the prefix ex-, so properly “to put out of the case”.[4][7][5] Nocentini treats it as a borrowing from Latin, while the LEI counts it among the forms that continue the Latin verb, with the loss of the first syllable, like Friulian scusâ.[7][8] The Latin verb is also French excuser (Old French ⟨escuser⟩, middle of the 12th century), Catalan excusar, Spanish excusar and Portuguese escusar.[8][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Brunetto Latini's Rettorica (about 1260–1261, Florentine), for a justification someone offers for a fault.[2] DELI's first record is in the 13th-century poet Chiaro Davanzati, in the sense “the act of excusing someone or oneself”;[4][9] GDLI quotes him: “Avegna se la scusa m'ascoltate / e volete la scusa ricepere, / io la vi fo” (if you will hear my excuse and are willing to receive it, I make it to you).[4][9]

Semantic evolution

The sense “pretext” is as old as the word: Guittone d'Arezzo, who died in 1294, already uses it.[4] In Old Italian law the word meant a plea of innocence against a charge, and an exemption from a statute or from an office.[2] Boccaccio has scuse in the plural for words of apology, as in the modern fare le proprie scuse.[9][10]

In the modern language chiedere scusa means “to apologize”, and chiedo scusa is a polite formula for interrupting or disturbing someone.[5][3] German Skus, the winning card in tarot, was taken from the Italian word and, from French excuse.[11]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Chiaro Davanzati uses scusa for an apology.[4]
  • About 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses it for a justification.[2]
  • Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses it for a pretext.[4]
  • 14th century – Boccaccio uses the plural for words of apology.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An apology, often in the plural: a request for forgiveness for a fault or a mistake, and the words or acts that express it: Ti devo delle scuse per ieri sera.[5][12][6]
  2. Forgiveness, indulgence asked for a fault, in chiedere scusa “to apologize”, chiedo scusa is a polite formula used when interrupting or disturbing someone.[5][12][3]
  3. A justification, a reason that excuses or lessens a fault: Per un errore così non c'è scusa.[5][6][3]
  4. A pretext, a false or convenient reason: Con la scusa del mal di testa è rimasto a casa.[5][12][13]

Interjection

  1. (informal) Sorry!, excuse me!, said to one person.[1][12]

Word family

  • scuserella
  • scusetta

Usage notes

As an interjection, scusa is the imperative of scusare addressed to someone one calls tu.[1][14] The verb's polite and plural forms scusi and scusate serve the same purpose.[5] The phrase è una scusa bell'e buona means “it is a mere pretext”.[3][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 22, 85
  9. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  12. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  14. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org