exonerate

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>exonerate</strong> &#149; \ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><em>Exonerate</em> means "to clear from a charge of wrongdoing or from blame."</p> <p>// The witness' testimonies were key in <em>exonerating</em> the defendant.</p> <p>// The report <em>exonerated</em> the captain from any blame for the ship's running aground.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exonerate">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"The actor met with Sooner State oil rig workers who helped him prepare for his role in 'Stillwater' as a father desperate to <em>exonerate</em> his jailed daughter of a murder conviction in France." — Peter Sblendorio, <em>The Buffalo (New York) News</em>, 1 Aug. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Exonerate</em> comes from the Latin verb <em>exonerare</em>, meaning "to unburden." That verb combines the prefix <em>ex-</em> with <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onus">onus</a></em>, meaning "load" or "burden." In its earliest uses, <em>exonerate</em> was applied to physical burdens—a ship, for example, could be exonerated of its cargo when it was unloaded. Later it was used in reference to the freeing of any kind of burden, including blame or charges of wrongdoing.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>