excuse

See also: excusé

Contents

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English excusen, from Old French escuser, from Latin excūsō (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause and accuse.

PronunciationEdit

Verb

• (UK) enPR: ĭkskyo͞oz', IPA^(key): /ɪkˈskjuːz/, /ɛksˈkjuːz/
• (US) enPR: ĭkskyo͞oz', IPA^(key): /ɪksˈkjuz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːz

Noun

• (UK) enPR: ĭkskyo͞os', IPA^(key): /ɪkˈskjuːs/, /ɛksˈkjuːs/
• (US) enPR: ĭkskyo͞os', IPA^(key): /ɪksˈkjus/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːs

VerbEdit

excuse (third-person singular simple present excuses, present participle excusing, simple past and past participle excused)

1. (transitive) To forgive; to pardon.

   I excused him his transgressions.

   • Shakespeare

     I must excuse what cannot be amended.

   • Archbishop Sharp

     A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practising it, if really and indeed it be against God's law.

2. (transitive) To allow to leave.

   May I be excused from the table?

   I excused myself from the proceedings to think over what I'd heard.

3. (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.

   You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try to excuse his behavior!

4. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
   • Bible, 2. Corinthians xii. 19

     Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you?

SynonymsEdit

• (to release from guilt, shame, or punishment): forgive, let off the hook, let pass, pardon, unguilt

Derived termsEdit

• 'scuse
• excuse me
• excuse my French
• XQs

TranslationsEdit

forgive, pardon

• American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
• Arabic: غَفَرَ‏‎ (ḡafara)
• Bulgarian: прощавам (bg) (proštavam)
• Catalan: excusar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原諒 (zh), 原谅 (zh) (yuánliàng)

• Czech: omluvit (cs)
• Dutch: vergeven (nl), excuseren (nl)
• French: excuser (fr), pardonner (fr)
• Galician: perdoar (gl)
• German: entschuldigen (de), verzeihen (de)
• Greek: συγχωρώ (el) (synchoró)
• Ido: exkuzar (io)
• Italian: scusare (it), perdonare (it)
• Japanese: 許す (ja) (ゆるす, yurusu)

• Latin: mihi īgnōscō, (I) īgnōscō, excuso
• Malayalam: ക്ഷമിയ്ക്കുക (kṣamiykkuka)
• Norwegian: tilgi (no), unnskylde
• Polish: wybaczyć (pl)
• Portuguese: desculpar (pt), perdoar (pt)
• Romanian: scuza (ro)
• Russian: извиня́ть (ru) (izvinjátʹ), (perfective) извини́ть (ru) (izvinítʹ); (forgive) проща́ть (ru) (proščátʹ), (perfective) прости́ть (ru) (prostítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: math
• Spanish: excusar (es), perdonar (es)
• Swedish: ursäkta (sv)
• Tagalog: patawarin, magpatawad
• Turkish: mazur görmek (tr)
• Yiddish: אַנטשולדיקן‏‎ (antshuldikn)

allow to leave

• Arabic: اِعْتَذَرَ‏‎ (iʿtaḏara)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 請求離開, 请求离开 (qǐngqiú líkāi)

• Dutch: verontschuldigen (nl), excuseren (nl)
• French: excuser (fr)
• German: sich entschuldigen
• Italian: scusare (it)
• Japanese: 言い訳をする (iiwake-o suru)

• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: excuso
• Polish: usprawiedliwić
• Portuguese: escusar (pt), dispensar (pt)
• Russian: извиня́ться (ru) (izvinjátʹsja)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Tagalog: hayaan
• Turkish: muaf tutmak (tr)

explain with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement

• American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
• Bulgarian: оправдавам (bg) (opravdavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 辯解 (zh), 辩解 (zh) (biànjiě)

• Dutch: goedpraten (nl)
• French: excuser (fr), justifier (fr)
• German: entschuldigen (de)
• Hebrew: תירוץ‏‎ m (terutz)
• Italian: scusarsi (it), giustificarsi

• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: utior
• Polish: usprawiedliwić
• Portuguese: desculpar-se
• Russian: (perfective) оправда́ть (ru) (opravdátʹ), (imperfective) опра́вдывать (ru) (oprávdyvatʹ)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: ursäkta (sv), urskuldra

NounEdit

excuse (countable and uncountable, plural excuses)

1. (countable, uncountable) Explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment.
   • 1604-11, Bible (King James Version), Luke: XIV:18

     And they all with one consent began to make excuse.

   Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear any excuses!

2. (law) A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
3. (with negative adjective prepositioned, especially sorry or poor) An example.

   That thing is a poor excuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?

   He's a sorry excuse of a doctor.

Usage notesEdit

• We often say to make an excuse.
  See also: Appendix:MakeDoTakeHave

SynonymsEdit

• (explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment): pretext

TranslationsEdit

explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgement

• American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
• Arabic: عُذْر‏‎ m (ʿuḏr)
• Armenian: պատրվակ (hy) (patrvak)
• Bulgarian: извинение (bg) n (izvinenie), оправдание (bg) n (opravdanie)
• Catalan: excusa f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藉口 (zh), 借口 (zh) (jièkǒu), 辯解 (zh), 辩解 (zh) (biànjiě)

• Czech: omluva (cs) f (apology), výmluva f (dishonest), záminka (cs) f (dishonest)
• Dutch: uitvlucht (nl) m, f, excuus (nl) n
• Esperanto: senkulpigo
• Finnish: tekosyy (fi), veruke (fi)
• French: prétexte (fr) m, excuse (fr) f
• German: Ausrede (de) f
• Greek: δικαιολογία (el) f (dikaiología)
• Hebrew: תירוץ‏‎ m, אמתלה‏‎ (he) f
• Ido: exkuzo (io)
• Irish: leithscéal (ga) m
• Italian: scusa (it) f, pretesto (it) m
• Japanese: 言い訳 (ja) (iiwake), 口実 (ja) (kōjitsu), 弁解 (ja) (benkai)

• Macedonian: изговор m (izgovor), оправдување n (opravduvanje)
• Malay: alasan
• Malayalam: ക്ഷമാപണം (ml) (kṣamāpaṇaṃ), ഒഴിവുകഴിവ് (ml) (oḻivukaḻiv)
• Manchu: ᡴᠠᠨᠠᡤᠠᠨ (kanagan)
• Maori: takunga, takutakunga
• Mirandese: çculpa f
• Ngazidja Comorian: udhuri
• Norwegian: unnskyldning m
• Persian: بهانه‏‎ (fa) (behâne)
• Polish: wykręt m (dishonest), wymówka (pl) f (dishonest), usprawiedliwienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: desculpa (pt) f
• Russian: оправда́ние (ru) n (opravdánije), отгово́рка (ru) f (otgovórka), (apology) извине́ние (ru) n (izvinénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: leisgeul m
• Spanish: excusa (es) f
• Swedish: ursäkt (sv) c
• Tagalog: dahilan
• Turkish: bahane (tr), mazeret (tr)
• Yiddish: תּירוץ‏‎ m (teyrets)

Further readingEdit

• excuse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• excuse in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From excuser.

PronunciationEdit

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ɛks.kyːz/

NounEdit

excuse f (plural excuses)

1. excuse

VerbEdit

excuse

1. first-person singular present indicative of excuser
2. third-person singular present indicative of excuser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
5. second-person singular imperative of excuser

Further readingEdit

• “excuse” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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LatinEdit

ParticipleEdit

excūse

1. vocative masculine singular of excūsus

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SpanishEdit

VerbEdit

excuse

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of excusar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of excusar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of excusar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of excusar.