excuse
excuse (ĭk-skyzʹ) verb, transitive
excused, excusing, excuses
1. a. To explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood: He arrived late and excused his tardiness in a flimsy manner. b. To seek to remove the blame from: She excused herself for being late.
2. a. To grant pardon to; forgive: We quickly excused the latecomer. b. To make allowance for; overlook: Readers must excuse the author's youth and inexperience. See synonyms at forgive.
3. To serve as justification for: Brilliance does not excuse bad manners.
4. To free, as from an obligation or duty; exempt: In my state, physicians and lawyers are excused from jury duty.
5. To give permission to leave; release: The child ate quickly and asked to be excused.
noun
(ĭk-skysʹ)
1. An explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.
2. A reason or grounds for excusing: Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.
3. The act of excusing.
4. A note explaining an absence.
5. Informal. An inferior example: a poor excuse for a poet; a sorry excuse for a car.
[Middle English excusen, from Old French excuser, from Latin excūsāre : ex-, ex- + causa, accusation. See cause.]
excusʹable adjective
excusʹableness noun
excusʹably adverb
excusʹer noun