Accepting someone's explanation for why they did something wrong, or letting someone leave without punishment.
From Old French 'excuser,' derived from Latin 'excusare'—'ex-' (out) + 'causa' (cause/reason)—literally meaning 'to put forth a reason.' The meaning shifted from 'offering a reason' to 'accepting that reason as valid.'
The word excuse literally means 'a reason out'—when you excuse someone, you're accepting their reason for something, but if you *are* the excuse, you're just making up reasons (and everyone knows it!).
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