Word of the Day

: December 11, 2008

exculpate

verb EK-skull-payt

What It Means

: to clear from alleged fault or guilt

exculpate in Context

The lawyer claimed to have recently discovered evidence that would exculpate her client.

Did You Know?

You need not take the blame if you're unfamiliar with the origins of "exculpate," but there's a hint in this sentence. The word, which was adopted in the late 17th century from Medieval Latin "exculpatus," traces back to the Latin noun "culpa," meaning "blame." Some other descendants of "culpa" in English include "culpable" ("meriting condemnation or blame") and "inculpate" ("incriminate"), as well as the considerably rarer "culpatory" ("accusing") and "disculpate" (a synonym of "exculpate"). You may also be familiar with the borrowed Latin phrase "mea culpa," which translates directly as "through my fault" and is used in English to mean "a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error."