Main Entry: in·no·cent

Pronunciation: \ˈi-nə-sənt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin innocent-, innocens, from in- + nocent-, nocens wicked, from present participle of nocēre to harm — more at noxious

Date: 14th century

1 a : free from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil : blameless <an innocent child> b : harmless in effect or intention <searching for a hidden motive in even the most innocent conversation — Leonard Wibberley>; also : candid <gave me an innocent gaze> c : free from legal guilt or fault; also : lawful <a wholly innocent transaction>
2 a : lacking or reflecting a lack of sophistication, guile, or self-consciousness : artless, ingenuous b : ignorant <almost entirely innocent of Latin — C. L. Wrenn>; also : unaware <perfectly innocent of the confusion he had created — B. R. Haydon>
3 : lacking or deprived of something <her face innocent of cosmetics — Marcia Davenport>

— innocent noun

— in·no·cent·ly adverb