acquit

ac·quit   (ə-kwĭt')    tr.v.   ac·quit·ted, ac·quit·ting, ac·quits Law To free or clear from a charge or accusation. To release or discharge from a duty. To conduct (oneself) in a specified manner: acquitted herself well during the interview. Obsolete To repay. [Middle English aquiten, from Old French aquiter : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + quite, free, clear (from Medieval Latin quittus, variant of Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere, to rest; see kweiə- in Indo-European roots).] ac·quit'ter n.

acquit 

Main Entry: ac·quit
Pronunciation: &-'kwit
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: ac·quit·ted; ac·quit·ting
Etymology: Old French acquiter to pay off, absolve, acquit, from a-, prefix marking causation + quite free (of an obligation)
transitive verb : to discharge completely: as a : to release from liability for a debt or other obligation —usually used in agreements acquit, and discharge each other> b : to absolve (a criminal defendant) of a charge by judicial process c : to clear of wrongdoing acquit them of misrepresentation —In re Hiller, 694 Pacific Reporter, Second Series 540 (1985)> intransitive verb : to absolve a defendant of criminal liability acquit if any reasonable doubt existed —Commonwealth v. Gagliardi, 638 North Eastern Reporter, Second Series 20 (1994)> —compare CONVICT