[word of the day] The Word of the Day for September 24 is:

The Word of the Day for September 24 is:

exculpatory \ek-SKUL-puh-tor-ee\ adjective

: tending or serving to clear from alleged fault or guilt

Example sentence:

The witness's exculpatory testimony convinced the jury to find the defendant not guilty.

See a map of "exculpatory" in the Visual Thesaurus.

Did you know?

No one will blame you for having questions about the origins of “exculpatory.” The adjective comes from a combination of the prefix “ex-,” meaning “out of” or “away from,” and the Latin noun "culpa," which means "blame" or “guilt.” Something exculpatory, then, frees one from accusations. “Culpa” has given English a number of other words, including the verb “exculpate” (“to clear from alleged fault or guilt”). The related but lesser-known terms "inculpate" (“to incriminate”) and "inculpatory" (“incriminating”) are antonyms of "exculpate" and "exculpatory." “Culpable” is a synonym of “blameworthy,” and “mea culpa” refers to a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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