exonerate

English

WOTD – 10 July 2017, 10 April 2021

Etymology

From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerāt-, the participle stem of exonerāre, from exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), from ex- (prefix denoting privation) + onerō (“to burden, lade; to load”) (from onus (“burden, load”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃énh₂os (“burden, load”), from *h₃enh₂- (“to charge, onerate”)). The English word is cognate with French exonérer.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzɒnəɹeɪt/, /ɛɡ-/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzɑnəˌɹeɪt/, /ɛɡ-/
Audio (GA) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Hyphenation: ex‧o‧ner‧ate

Verb

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

(transitive, archaic) To relieve (someone or something) of a load; to unburden (a load).
(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: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970, 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?
(transitive) To free (someone) from an obligation, responsibility or task.
(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)

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

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)

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)

Adjective

exonerate

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

Latin

Verb

exonerāte

second-person plural present active imperative of exonerō