Word of the Day : February 5, 2021

absolve \ub-ZAHLV\ verb

Definition

1 : to set (someone) free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt

2 : to pardon or forgive a sin usually as a sacrament

Did You Know?

The act of absolving can be seen as releasing someone from blame or sin, or "loosening" the hold that responsibility has on a person, which provides a hint about the word's origins. Absolve was adopted into Middle English in the 15th century from the Latin verb absolvere, formed by combining the prefix ab- ("from, away, off") with solvere, meaning "to loosen." Absolve also once had additional senses of "to finish or accomplish" and "to resolve or explain," but these are now obsolete. Solvere is also the ancestor of the English words solve, dissolve, resolve, solvent, and solution.

Aired February 5, 2021

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