exculpatory

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 24, 2007 is: exculpatory • \ek-SKUL-puh-tor-ee\ • adjective : tending or serving to clear from alleged fault or guilt Examples: The witness's exculpatory testimony convinced the jury to find the defendant not guilty. Did you know? No one will blame you for having questions about the origins of "exculpatory." The adjective comes from a combination of the prefix "ex-," meaning "out of" or "away from," and the Latin noun "culpa," which means "blame" or "guilt." Something exculpatory, then, frees one from accusations. "Culpa" has given English a number of other words, including the verb "exculpate" ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt"). The related but lesser-known terms "inculpate" ("to incriminate") and "inculpatory" ("incriminating") are antonyms of "exculpate" and "exculpatory." "Culpable" is a synonym of "blameworthy," and "mea culpa" refers to a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.