## Meanings
1. A reason you give to explain or defend a mistake or failure.
2. To forgive someone for a small mistake.
3. To allow someone to leave or to be free from a duty.
4. To be a good enough reason for something; to justify.

## Examples
- He gave a weak excuse for being late again.
- Please excuse my poor handwriting.
- May I be excused from class early today?
- Being tired does not excuse such rude behaviour.

## Antonyms
- blame
- punish

## Derived Forms
- excusability
- excusal
- excuseflation
- excuseless
- excusingly
- unexcused
- unexcusing
- xqs

## Related Forms
- rationalization

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: excusen
- Root: escuser
- Root: excuso

## Etymology
From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”).

## AI Etymology
Excuse comes from Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”). In current use, the main senses are “A reason you give to explain or defend a mistake or failure” and “To forgive someone for a small mistake”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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