Etymology
1. c.1225, "to clear (someone) from blame," from O.Fr.
escuser, from L.
excusare "release from a charge," from
ex- "out, away" +
causa "accusation, legal action" (see cause). Meaning "to obtain exemption or release" is from 1340; that of "to accept another's plea of excuse" is from c.1325. The noun sense of "that which is offered as a reason for being excused" is recorded from c.1500.
Excuse me as a mild apology or statement of polite disagreement is from 1606.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ
4. Proto-Indo-European *-s
5. Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs
6. Proto-Italic *eks
7. Latin ex
8. Latin ex-
9. Proto-Italic *kaussā
10. Old Latin caussa
11. Latin causa
12. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
13. Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
14. Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
15. Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
16. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.
17. Proto-Italic *-ājō
18. Proto-Italic *-āō
19. Latin -ō
20. Latin excūsāreder.
21. Old French escuserder.
22. Middle English excusen
23. ▲
24. Latin excūsāreder.
25. Old French excuseder.
26. Middle English excuse
27. English excuse
28. From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”). See: Old French '
escuser', Latin '
excuso'.
Verbs referencing "excuse"
Ido exkuzar.