Legal Definition and Related Resources of Excuse

A reason alleged for doing or not doing a thing. Not synonymous with an alibi as the former deals with the justification for doing or not doing a thing, whereas an alibi negates the physical possibility that the suspected individual could have committed the crime .

In a broad sense, a reason alleged for the doing or not doing a thing. In a stricter sense, it does not include justification, but implies that, though the act complained of was improperly done, facts by way of mitigation relieve the doer from legal liability. In this sense, an excuse is facts mitigating the act, or depriving it of ‘ legal culpability. Compare, for example, “Excusable Homicide” and “Justifiable Homicide.”

verb

• absolve
• acquit
• allow for
• bear with
• clear
• condone
• discharge
• exculpate
• excusare
• exempt
• exonerate
• expurgare
• extenuate
• forgive
• free
• give absolution to
• give dispensation
• grant amnesty to
• judge with indulgence
• justify
• let off
• liberate
• make allowances for
• overlook
• pardon
• pass over
• pronounce innocent of wrong
• provide with an alibi
• regard indulgently
• release
• release from obligation
• relieve
• remit
• reprieve
• shrive
• vindicate
• Associated Concepts: affirmative defense
• alibi
• defense
• just cause
• justification
• lawful excuse
• legitimate excuse
• reasonable excuseforeign phrases: Impotentia excusat legem
• The impossibility of performing a legal duty is an excuse from the performance
• Injuria non excusat injuriam
• One wrong does not excuse another
• Ignorantia excusator
• non juris sed facti
• Ignorance of fact may excuse
• but not ignorance of law
• Ignorantia eorum quae quis scire tenetur non excusat
• Ignorance of those things which a person is deemed to know is no excuse
• Vani timoris justa excusatio non est
• A frivolous fear is not a lawful excuse
• Ignorantia juris non excusat
• Ignorance of the law is no excuse
• Regula est
• juris quidem ignorantiam cuique nocere
• facti vero ignorantiam non nocere
• The rule is that a person’s ignorance of the law may prejudice him
• but that his ignorance of fact will not

noun

• alibi
• allowance
• defense
• dispensation
• exculpation
• excnsatio
• exemption
• exoneration
• explanation for some delinquency
• extenuation
• justification
• mitigation
• ostensible reason
• pretense
• pretext
• rationalization
• reason
• subterfuge
• Associated Concepts: excusable assault
• excusable homicide
• excusable neglect
• legal excuse foreign phrases: Impotentia excusat legem
• The impossibility of performing a legal duty is an excuse from the performance
• A ‘impossible nuln’est tenu
• No one is bound to do what is impossible

Browse or run a search for Excuse in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Excuse in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Excuse in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Excuse in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

You might be also interested in these legal terms:

Mentioned in these terms

Color Of Right, Detinue, Found-in, Good Cause, Ignorance Of The Law, Malice, Malice Aforethought, Malice In Law, Strict Liability.

Translate Excuse from English to Spanish

Translation of Excuse , with examples. More about free online translation into Spanish of Dispensar a un jurado o a un testigo and other legal terms is available here.

• Dispensar a un jurado o a un testigo
• Legal English Translation

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This definition of Excuse is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

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Grammar

This term is a verb.

Etimology of Excuse

(You may find excuse at the world legal encyclopedia and the etimology of more terms).

mid-13c., “attempt to clear (someone) from blame, find excuses for,” from Old French escuser (12c., Modern French excuser) “apologize, make excuses; pardon, exonerate,” from Latin excusare “excuse, apologize, make an excuse for, plead as an excuse; release from a charge; decline, refuse, excuse the refusal of” (source also of Spanish excusar, Italian scusare), from ex “out, away” (see ex-) + causa “accusation, legal action” (see cause; this term is also a noun.). Sense of “forgive, pardon, accept another’s plea of excuse” is from early 14c. Meaning “to obtain exemption or release from an obligation or duty; beg to be excused” is from mid-14c. in English, as is the sense “defend (someone or something) as right.” Sense of “serve as justification for” is from 1530s. Related: Excused; excusing. Excuse me as a mild apology or statement of polite disagreement is from c. 1600.

Resources

See Also

Excuse in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of excuse.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Policeman
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• excuse in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• excuse in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis