Etymology

exculpatory

ex·cul·pat·o·ry
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Today it means: Tending to excuse or clear of wrongdoing. Full definition →

Medieval Latin exculpātus ← Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kʷelp-
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromexculpātus
  3. English todayexculpatory

From exculpate + -ory (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to, serving for’). Exculpate is derived from Medieval Latin exculpātus, perfect passive participle of exculpō (“to free from blame, exculpate”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + culpa (“defect, fault; crime”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-). Cognate with Spanish exculpatorio.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.