Declares someone not guilty of a crime, or fulfills an obligation or duty in a satisfactory way.
Third-person singular present tense of acquit, from Old French aquitier meaning 'to pay off, settle, or free.' The meaning shifted from financial transactions to legal declarations through the development of formal justice systems.
The verb acquit shows up in 'acquit oneself,' meaning to perform or behave in a certain way—a fascinating leftover from when the word meant 'to settle one's debts,' because performing your duty well meant you were 'cleared' of responsibility.
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