acquit
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English aquī̆ten (“to give in return; to pay, repay; to redeem (a pledge, security), to make good (a promise); to make amends; to relieve of an obligation; to acquit, clear of a charge; to free; to deprive of; to do one's part, acquit oneself; to act, behave (in a certain way)”), from Old French aquiter (“to act, do”) and Medieval Latin acquitāre (“to settle a debt”), from ad- (“to”) + quitare (“to free”), equivalent to a- + quit. Doublet of acquiet; also related to quit, quiet and acquiesce.
Base: quit
Affixes: a-
Inflected forms:
form: acquits
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: acquitting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: acquitted
pos: verb
tags: past
form: acquitted
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: acquit
pos: verb
tags: archaic
participle
past
form: acquite
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: To declare or find innocent or not guilty.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: [W]hen God ſaith of himſelfe, that he is one who acquiting will not acquite the wicked, his meaning is, that whatſoeuer may be ſuppoſed becauſe of his patience, yet he will not fully and finally diſcharge thoſe who goe on ſtill in their vngodly courſes, and preſume vpon his Mercy, without repentance.
But gently could his passion entertaine, / Though she Love's princesse, he a lowly swaine. / First of his bold intrusion she acquites him, / Then to her service (happy Boy!) admits him, / And, like another Love, with bow and quiver fits him.
But I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me: I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts which have been adduced against me; and I hope the character I have always borne will incline my judges to a favourable interpretation, where any circumstance appears doubtful or suspicious.
If he [Francis Bacon] was convicted, it was because it was impossible to acquit him without offering the grossest outrage to justice and common sense.
The new accusation brought by Urban [Pope Urban IV] against Manfred of murdering his sister-in-law's embassador—it may be observed that, tacitly, he acquits him of parricide, fratricide, and nepoticide—requires a little explanation.
"You're acquitted, and I'm sorry about the new dent."
gloss: To discharge (for example, a claim or debt); to clear off, to pay off; to fulfil.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Although it pleaſed you this other night (occasion by me unhappily miniſtred) to intertaine time with an ordinarie profeſſion of love, yet (maſter Rinaldo) you doe both me and your ſelfe great injurie to continue your needleſſe labour with ſuch importunancie to me. […] Thus muche (being your firſte attempt) I thought it good to anſwere, leaſt you ſhould think with needleſſe niceneſſe I acquited your courteſies.
Midst foes (as champion of the faith) he ment / That palme or cypress should his paines acquite; […]
[Et ſi feoffati illi warrantum, vel medium not habeant.] That is to say, if they have neither one to warrant by ſpeciall graunt, nor any meſne by tenure which ought to acquit them, tunc omnes illi feoffati pro portione ſua contribuant, &c.
[…] I admit it to be not so much the duty as the privilege of an American citizen, to acquit this obligation to the memory of his fathers with discretion and generosity. […] [I]t is not the less true, that there are many ties, which ought to bind our feelings to the land of our fathers. It is characterstic of a magnanimous people to do justice to the merits of every other nation; especially of a nation with whom we have been at variance and are now in amity; and most especially of a nation of common blood.
We see young men who owe us a new world, so readily and lavishly they promise, but they never acquit the debt; they die young and dodge the account: or if they live, they lose themselves in the crowd.
gloss: to discharge, release, or set free from a burden, duty, liability, or obligation, or from an accusation or charge.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The jury acquitted the prisoner of the charge.
Jerome. Object to Antonio? I have said it; his poverty, can you acquit him of that? / Ferd[inand]. Sir, I own he is not over rich; but he is of as ancient and honourable a family, as any in the kingdom.
This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr. Wickham.
gloss: To bear or conduct oneself; to perform one's part.
pos: verb
tags: reflexive
examples: The soldier acquitted herself well in battle.
The orator acquitted himself very poorly.
Though this was one of the firſt mercantile tranſactions of my life, yet I had no doubt about acquitting myſelf with reputation.
[Paddy] McNair also acquitted himself well after [Marcos] Rojo was injured sliding into a challenge with Martín Demichelis […]
gloss: To clear oneself.
pos: verb
tags: reflexive
examples: God forbid any Malice ſhould preuayle, / That faultleſſe may condemne a Noble man: / Pray God he may acquit him of ſuſpicion.
gloss: To release, to rescue, to set free.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: But be of cheare, and comfort to you take: / For till I haue acquitt your captiue knight, / Aſſure your ſelfe, I will you not forſake.
gloss: To pay for; to atone for.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
rare
transitive
examples: For me I am the miſtreſſe of my fate, / And with my treſpaſſe neuer will diſpence, / Till life to death acquit my forſt offence.
Synonyms: acquittance
assoil
assoilzie
acquit
absolve
clear
disculp
disculpate
exculpate
exonerate
vindicate
Antonyms: accuse
blame
charge
convict
condemn
impeach
incriminate
inculpate
indict
Related words: autrefois acquit
let off
verdict
sentence
forgive
pardon
remit
Derived words: acquitment
acquittal
acquital
acquittance
acquittee
acquitter
unacquittable
unacquitted
unaquit
Translations: