apology

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A statement saying that you are sorry for something you have done.

   His apology sounded so sincere that I forgave him at once.

2. 2
   noun

   A formal defence of a belief or position.

   The book is a passionate apology for democracy.

3. 3
   noun

   A very poor example of something.

   That sad little sandwich was an apology for a meal.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Apology, recorded from the mid-16th century, goes back to Greek apologia, “a speech in one’s own defence.” Its earliest English use was legal, referring to a formal defence against an accusation.

From French apologie, from Late Latin apologia, from Ancient Greek ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defence”), from ἀπολογοῦμαι (apologoûmai, “I speak in my defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), from ἀπό (apó, “from, off”) (see apo-) + λόγος (lógos, “speech”). Doublet of apologia. By surface analysis, apo- + -logy.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary