excuse: [13] Etymologically, excuse means ‘free of accusation’. It comes via Old French from Latin excūsāre, a compound verb formed from the prefix ex-, denoting removal, and causa ‘cause’ – but ‘cause’ in the sense not of something that produces a result, but of ‘legal action, accusation’ (a meaning preserved in English ‘cause list’, for example) Originally, the s of both the noun and the verb was pronounced /z/; the /s/ of the modern English noun arose by analogy with such nouns as use and abuse. => accuse, cause
excuse (v.)
mid-13c., "attempt to clear (someone) from blame, find excuses for," from Old French escuser (12c., Modern French excuser) "apologize, make excuses; pardon, exonerate," from Latin excusare "excuse, apologize, make an excuse for, plead as an excuse; release from a charge; decline, refuse, excuse the refusal of" (source also of Spanish excusar, Italian scusare), from ex- "out, away" (see ex-) + causa "accusation, legal action" (see cause (n.)).
Sense of "forgive, pardon, accept another's plea of excuse" is from early 14c. Meaning "to obtain exemption or release from an obligation or duty; beg to be excused" is from mid-14c. in English, as is the sense "defend (someone or something) as right." Sense of "serve as justification for" is from 1530s. Related: Excused; excusing. Excuse me as a mild apology or statement of polite disagreement is from c. 1600.
excuse (n.)
late 14c., "pretext, justification," from Old French excuse, from excuser (see excuse (v.)). The sense of "that which serves as a reason for being excused" is recorded from mid-15c. As a noun, excusation is the earlier form (mid-14c.).
双语例句
1. He'd telephoned with some phoney excuse she didn't believe for a minute.
他找了某个她根本不会相信的借口给她打电话。
来自柯林斯例句
2. National security is the stock excuse for keeping things confidential.
国家安全常被用作对一些事情保密的挡箭牌。
来自柯林斯例句
3. A conservatory offers the perfect excuse to let your imagination run riot.
音乐学院让你有充分的理由任想象力自由驰骋。
来自柯林斯例句
4. "Excuse me," she said to Jarvis, and left the room.
“抱歉出去一下，”她对贾维斯说，然后离开了房间。
来自柯林斯例句
5. He mumbled some lame excuse about having gone to sleep.