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exculpate

[ ek-skuhl-peyt, ik-skuhl-peyt ]
/ ˈɛk skʌlˌpeɪt, ɪkˈskʌl peɪt /
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verb (used with object), ex·cul·pat·ed, ex·cul·pat·ing.

to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.

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RELATED WORDS

acquit, pardon, vindicate, rationalize, clear, dismiss, absolve, remit, excuse, free, release, discharge, amnesty, condone, explain, exonerate, justify

Nearby words

  1. excruciation,
  2. excubitorium,
  3. excud.,
  4. excudit,
  5. exculpable,
  6. exculpation,
  7. exculpatory,
  8. excurrent,
  9. excursion,
  10. excursion ticket

Origin of exculpate

1650–60; < Latin exculpātus freed from blame, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + culpātus blamed (past participle of culpāre; see culpable)
Related forms
Can be confusedexculpate exonerate inculpate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exculpate

British Dictionary definitions for exculpate

exculpate

/ (ˈɛkskʌlˌpeɪt, ɪkˈskʌlpeɪt) /

verb

(tr) to free from blame or guilt; vindicate or exonerate
Derived Formsexculpable (ɪkˈskʌlpəbəl), adjectiveexculpation, nounexculpatory, adjective

Word Origin for exculpate

C17: from Medieval Latin exculpāre, from Latin ex- 1 + culpāre to blame, from culpa fault, blame
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for exculpate

exculpate

v.

1650s, from Medieval Latin exculpatus, past participle of exculpare, from Latin ex culpa, from ex "from" (see ex-) + culpa ablative of culpa "blame, fault." Related: Exculpated; exculpating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper