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