Etymology

disculpate

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Today it means: To free from blame or the imputation of a fault; to exonerate. Full definition →

First used 17th c.Medieval Latin disculpātus
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The story

  1. Medieval Latin · borrowed fromdisculpātus
  2. English todaydisculpate

Borrowed from Medieval Latin disculpātus, perfect passive participle of disculpō (“to disculpate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from dis- (“off”, denoting the ending of an action) + culpō (“to blame”), from culpa (“fault”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of disculp.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. To free from blame or the imputation of a fault; to exonerate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.