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acquitted

 - 3 dictionary results

ac⋅quit

  [uh-kwit]
Use acquitted in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -quit⋅ted, -quit⋅ting.
1. to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty: They acquitted him of the crime. The jury acquitted her, but I still think she's guilty.
2. to release or discharge (a person) from an obligation.
3. to settle or satisfy (a debt, obligation, claim, etc.).
4. to bear or conduct (oneself); behave: He acquitted himself well in battle.
5. to free or clear (oneself): He acquitted himself of suspicion.
Origin:
1200–50; ME aquiten < AF, OF a(c)quiter, deriv., with a(c)- ac-, of quite free of obligations < ML quit(t)us, L quiētus quiet 1 ; cf. quit

Related forms:
ac⋅quit⋅ter, noun

Synonyms:
1. exculpate. See absolve. 2. free.

Antonyms:
1. convict.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To acquitted
ac·quit   (ə-kwĭt')   
tr.v.   ac·quit·ted, ac·quit·ting, ac·quits

  1. Law To free or clear from a charge or accusation.

  2. To release or discharge from a duty.

  3. To conduct (oneself) in a specified manner: acquitted herself well during the interview.

  4. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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