accuse
/əˈkjuːz/
verb
Origin
Latin
accusare — to call to account, to accuse
Overview
Meaning Now
- To charge someone with a fault or offense; to blame or denounce as guilty.
- To bring a formal legal charge against someone.
Literal older meaning
To call to legal account
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
acusen
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word entered English via Old French following the Norman Conquest, reflecting the influx of Latinate legal and administrative terminology into the English vocabulary.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
accusare
“to bring a charge against”
From 'ad' (to) + 'causa' (a cause, legal case, reason).
- Old French
acuser
“to accuse, to blame”
Direct ancestor of the English form.
- Middle English
acusen
“to charge with a fault”
Adopted into English from Old French during the Middle English period.
Connections
Word parts
ac-
prefix
to, toward
cus-
root
case, lawsuit (from Latin 'causa')
-e
ending
verbal suffix
Related across languages
French
accuser
to accuse
Italian
accusare
to accuse
Spanish
acusar
to accuse
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.