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語源

From 中期英語 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 古期英語 lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”).

発音

Verb

• (英国発音) enPR: ĭkskyo͞oz', IPA: /ɪkˈskjuːz/, /ɛksˈkjuːz/
• (米国発音) enPR: ĭkskyo͞oz', IPA: /ɪksˈkjuz/, /ɛksˈkjuz/
• 韻: -uːz

Noun

• (英国発音) enPR: ĭkskyo͞os', IPA: /ɪkˈskjuːs/, /ɛksˈkjuːs/
• (米国発音) enPR: ĭkskyo͞os', IPA: /ɪksˈkjus/, /ɛksˈkjus/
• 韻: -uːs

動詞

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

1. (transitive) To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

   I excused him his transgressions.

   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii], page 25, column 1:

     Yet his Nature / In that’s no Changeling, and I muſt excuſe / What cannot be amended.

   • c. 1685, John Sharp, A Discourse of Conscience:

     If they say that he did sin in doing this, then they must at the same time acknowledge that a man's persuasion that a thing is a duty will not excuse him from guilt in practising it

2. (transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.

   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 justify.

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

   • c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 62, lines 6–7:

     They cannot be excusyd
     By reason nor by law; […]

4. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians xij:[19], folio ccxlvj, verso:

     Agayne / thynke ye that we excuſe oure ſelves? we ſpeake in Chriſt in the ſight of God. But we do all thyngꝭ dearly beloved for youre edifyinge.

   • 1705, Thomas à Kempis (unknown translator), The Christian’s Pattern: or, A Treatise of the Imitation of Jesus Christ, London: T. C. Hansard, […], published 1831, page 54:

     It were more meet that thou didst accuse thy self, and excusedst thy Brother.

同意語

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

plead

• (justify): plead, adduce,

反意語

• (antonym(s) of “to release from guilt, shame, or punishment”): blame, punish

派生語

名詞

excuse (countable and uncountable, plural excuses)

1. (countable, uncountable) An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.

   Synonym: cop-out

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

   I had to make an excuse for being late to the meeting.

   a feeble excuse

   a tired excuse

   a valid excuse

   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke xiiij:[18], folio cj, recto:

     And they all atonce begane to make excuſe. The fyrſt ſayd vnto him: I have bought a ferme / and I muſt nedes goo and ſe it / I praye the have me excuſed.

   • 2024 April 5, Chappell Roan, Justin Tranter, Dan Nigro, “Good Luck, Babe!”‎performed by Chappell Roan:

     You can kiss a hundred boys in bars
     Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling
     You can say it's just the way you are
     Make a new excuse, another stupid reason

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. (often with preceding negative adjective, especially sorry, poor, or lame) An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.

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

   He's a sorry excuse for a doctor.

   • 2008, Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap, London: Atlantic Books, page 131:

     What a fucking lame excuse for a man.

   • 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 15:10 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918‎, archived from the original on 4 August 2022:

     Seydlitz correctly identifies the larger shell splashes as coming from the two "large light cruisers" at the rear, and takes aim. Moments later, Courageous sheers out of line, smoke and steam venting through a massive hole in her side, the shells having blasted right through whatever excuse for armor was present and detonated amidst the boiler rooms. She is doomed.

使用する際の注意点

• We often say to make an excuse.

同意語

• (explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment): pretext release, clear, justify, forgive, tolerate, overlook, exempt, pardon, discharge, pretext, bear with, acquit, exonerate, absolve, pretense, vindicate.

派生語

参考

• rationalization

Further reading

• “excuse”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “excuse”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.