apology English · revision 10290

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1533|origins=la apologia|origins=grc ἀπολογία}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /əˈpɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/ ''(UK)''; /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is from Late Latin apologia or French apologie,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) from Greek [[m|grc|ἀπολογία|tr=apología|t=a speech in defence]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from apologeîsthai, to defend oneself, give an account of oneself,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from apólogos, an account, story, from apó-, away, off, and lógos, speech (see [[logos]]).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Barnhart notes that apologie has been recorded in French since 1488.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A defence or justification: 1533, in the title of Sir Thomas More's ''Apologie'';^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline dates it to the early 15th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ An apology was at first a formal defence against an accusation, used in legal contexts.^(Cresswell 2021)^(NODE 1998) Less formally, a justification or excuse is from 1588,^(OED 1989) and an explanation offered to someone affected that no offence was meant, the main modern sense, from 1594.^(OED 1989) Johnson defined it as defence or excuse, noting that it signifies rather excuse than vindication,^(Etymonline) which may show the path of the change.^(Etymonline) A poor substitute, ''an apology for a meal'', is from 1754.^(OED 1989) The old sense of defence went to the Latin form [[apologia]] (1784).^(Etymonline) ''Apologize'' is from 1597 and ''apologetic'' from 1649.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1533 – a defence.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1588 – an excuse.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1594 – an expression of regret.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1597 – apologize.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1754 – a poor substitute.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1784 – apologia.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An acknowledgment expressing [[regret]] or asking pardon for a fault or offence.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A formal defence or justification.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An explanation or excuse.^(AHD)

+ # A poor or inferior substitute: ''an apology for a meal''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[apologise]]

+ * [[apologist]]

+ * [[apologize]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[apologetic]]

+ * [[apologetics]]

+ * [[apologia]]

+ * [[logos]]

+ * [[prologue]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}