The act of freeing someone from a charge or obligation, or a document that proves this freedom has been granted.
From Middle English acquiten, derived from Old French aquitier, meaning 'to pay off' or 'to satisfy.' The prefix ac- (to) combined with quite (free, clear) eventually evolved to mean clearing someone of guilt or debt.
Acquitment is a legal term that shows how medieval concerns about debt and obligation shaped our modern justice system—the word originally meant 'to pay off a debt' before it became about clearing someone in court, reflecting how law developed from commerce.
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