Origin: 1525–35; < Latin absolvere, equivalent to ab-ab- + solvere to loosen; see solve
Related forms
ab·solv·a·ble, adjective
ab·sol·vent, adjective, noun
ab·solv·er, noun
un·ab·solved, adjective
Synonyms 1. exculpate, clear. Absolve,acquit,exonerate all mean to free from blame. Absolve is a general word for this idea. To acquit is to release from a specific and usually formal accusation: The court must acquit the accused if there is not enough evidence of guilt. To exonerate is to consider a person clear of blame or consequences for an act (even when the act is admitted), or to justify the person for having done it: to be exonerated for a crime committed in self-defense. 2. liberate, exempt. 3. excuse, forgive.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.