Where does “acquittal” come from?
I need to trace back from "acquittal" to find its etymology chain.
However, the chain you've provided traces "acquit" → "aldehyde" → "Aldehyd", which doesn't connect to "acquittal." These are unrelated words.
"Acquittal" comes from "acquit" (to declare not guilty), which derives from Old French "acquiter," from "a-" (to) + "quite" (free/clear), ultimately from Latin "quietus" (at rest, free from obligation).
The chain you've given (acquit → aldehyde → Aldehyd) appears to be an error, as aldehyde is a chemistry term with no connection to acquittal.
Could you please clarify:
1. Is the headword "acquit" or "acquittal"?
2. Is the etymology chain correct, or should it trace back through
acquittal (English): The act of fulfilling the duties; A legal...
Definitions
- The act of fulfilling the duties; A legal...
Ancestry of “acquittal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | acquit | To declare or find innocent or not guilty; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | aquī̆ten | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | acquitare | to settle a debt |
| 4 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 5 | Latin | īn- | — |
| 6 | Latin | în | — |
| 7 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |