Where does “excuse” come from?
excuse (Middle French) comes from Middle French excuser, from Old French escuser, from Latin excūsō, from Latin causa, from Old Latin caussa, from Proto-Indo-European kawd-teh₂.
Ancestry of “excuse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | excuser | to excuse; to pardon |
| 2 | Old French | escuser | to excuse oneself; to make excuses |
| 3 | Latin | excūsō | to excuse, allege in excuse, free from a charge |
| 4 | Latin | causa | cause, reason; case, claim, contention; motive,... |
| 5 | Old Latin | caussa | cause, reason, purpose; case, claim; Archaic form... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kawd-teh₂ | — |