exonerate

English

WOTD – 10 July 2017, 10 April 2021

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/, /ɛɡ-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzɑnəˌɹeɪt/, /ɛɡ-/

• Audio (General American):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Hyphenation: ex‧o‧ner‧ate

Etymology 1

From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerātus, past perfect participle of exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exonerō is from ex- (“out, from”) +‎ onerō (“to burden, lade; to load”) further from onus (oner-) (“a burden, load”) +‎ -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃énh₂os (“burden, load”), from *h₃enh₂- (“to charge, onerate”). Compare French exonérer.

Verb

exonerate (third-person singular simple present exonerates, present participle exonerating, simple past and past participle exonerated)

1. (transitive, archaic) To relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load).
2. (obsolete, reflexive) Of a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself).
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section ii, member 3, page 231:

     I would examine the Caſpian Sea, and ſee where and how it exonerates it ſelfe, after it hath taken in Volga, Iaxares, Oxus, and thoſe great rivers; at the mouth of Oby, or where?

3. (transitive) To free (someone) from an obligation, responsibility or task.
4. (transitive) To free (someone) from accusation or blame.

   Synonyms: acquit, exculpate; see also Thesaurus:acquit

Derived terms

• exonerated (adjective)
• exoneration
• exonerative
• exonerator

Translations

to relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load)

• Dutch: ontlasten (nl), verlichten (nl)
• French: exonérer (fr)
• German: erleichtern (de)
• Greek: απαλλάσσω (el) (apallásso)
• Polish: odciążyć (pl), uwolnić (pl), odciążać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: aliviar (pt)
• Russian: разгружа́ть (ru) impf (razgružátʹ), разгрузи́ть (ru) pf (razgruzítʹ)
• Swedish: avlasta (sv)

of a body of water: to discharge or empty (itself)

• Dutch: leeglopen (nl)
• German: ausleeren (de), entleeren (de), abfließen (de)
• Portuguese: esvaziar (pt)
• Russian: опустоша́ться (ru) impf (opustošátʹsja), опустоши́ться (ru) pf (opustošítʹsja)

to free from an obligation, responsibility or task

• Bulgarian: освобождавам от задължение (osvoboždavam ot zadǎlženie)
• Dutch: ontheffen (nl)
• Finnish: vapauttaa vastuusta
• French: exonérer (fr)
• Galician: exonerar (gl)
• German: abnehmen (de), befreien (de), entbinden (de), entlasten (de)
• Greek: απαλλάσσω (el) (apallásso)
• Hungarian: mentesít (hu)
• Korean: 면제(免除)하다 (ko) (myeonjehada)
• Portuguese: exonerar (pt)
• Russian: освобожда́ть (ru) impf (osvoboždátʹ), освободи́ть (ru) pf (osvobodítʹ)
• Swedish: lösa (sv)

to free from accusation or blame

• Bulgarian: оправдавам (bg) (opravdavam)
• Catalan: exonerar (ca)
• Czech: ospravedlnit (cs)
• Dutch: vrijspreken (nl)
• Finnish: vapauttaa syytteestä
• French: exonérer (fr)
• Galician: exonerar (gl)
• German: , entlasten (de), freisprechen (de), lossprechen
• Greek: αθωώνω (el) (athoóno), δικαιώνω (el) (dikaióno)
• Hungarian: felment (hu), tisztáz (hu)
• Italian: discolpare (it), scagionare (it)
• Maori: whakaharakore
• Persian: تبرئه کردن (tabra'e kardan)
• Portuguese: exonerar (pt)
• Russian: опра́вдывать (ru) impf (oprávdyvatʹ), оправда́ть (ru) pf (opravdátʹ)
• Spanish: exonerar (es)
• Swedish: frikänna (sv), rentvå (sv)
• Turkish: aklamak (tr), ibra etmek, tebriye etmek (tr), temize çıkarmak (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: exculpar (es)

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Latin exonerātus (more at etymology 1), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Adjective

exonerate (comparative more exonerate, superlative most exonerate)

1. (archaic) Freed from an obligation; freed from accusation or blame; acquitted, exonerated.

Latin

Verb

exonerāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of exonerō

Spanish

Verb

exonerate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of exonerar combined with te