Word a Day
excuse
What does excuse mean?
excuse (noun): a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc..
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you use excuse in a sentence?
- He kept finding excuses to stay. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
Where does excuse come from?
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”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “excuse”?
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What does “excuse” mean?
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
Not quite: that's what sort means.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
Not quite: that's what nature means.
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
Right! That's what “excuse” means.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
Not quite: that's what purpose means.
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