Word of the Day

: February 8, 2016

exonerate

verb ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt

What It Means

1 : to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship

2 : to clear from accusation or blame

exonerate in Context

Dana was exonerated for the crime of taking the money after it was found that her fingerprints did not match those on the cashbox.

"… a 2015 measure approved by the Legislature will provide more opportunities for convicted people to request DNA testing of evidence that might exonerate them." — The Daily Herald (Everett, Washington), 23 Dec. 2015

Did You Know?

We won't blame you if you don't know the origins of today's word. Exonerate derives via Middle English from the past participle of the Latin verb exonerare, meaning "to unburden," formed by combining the prefix ex- with onus, meaning "load" or "burden" (onus itself lives on with that meaning in English). In its earliest uses, dating from the 16th century, exonerate was used in the context of physical burdens—a ship, for example, could be exonerated of its cargo when it was unloaded. Later it was used in reference to any kind of burden, until a more specific sense developed, meaning "to relieve (someone) of blame."