different between acquit vs acquittance

English

Etymology

From Middle English aqu??ten (“to give in return; to pay, repay; to redeem (a pledge, security), to make good (a promise); to make amends; to relieve of an obligation; to acquit, clear of a charge; to free; to deprive of; to do one's part, acquit oneself; to act, behave (in a certain way)”), from Old French aquiter (“to act, do”) and Medieval Latin acquit?re (“to settle a debt”), from ad- (“prefix meaning ‘to’”) + quitare (“to free”), equivalent to a- +? quit. See quit and compare acquiet.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: ?-kw?t, IPA^(key): /??kw?t/
• Rhymes: -?t
• Hyphenation: ac?quit

Verb

acquit (third-person singular simple present acquits, present participle acquitting, simple past acquitted, past participle acquitted or (archaic) acquit)

1. (transitive) To declare or find innocent or not guilty.

   Synonyms: absolve, clear, exculpate, exonerate

   Antonyms: condemn, convict
2. (transitive) To discharge (for example, a claim or debt); to clear off, to pay off; to fulfil.
3. (transitive) Followed by of (and formerly by from): to discharge, release, or set free from a burden, duty, liability, or obligation, or from an accusation or charge.
4. (reflexive) To bear or conduct oneself; to perform one's part.
5. (reflexive) To clear oneself.
6. (transitive, archaic) past participle of acquit.
7. (transitive, obsolete) To release, to rescue, to set free.
8. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To pay for; to atone for.

Alternative forms

• acquite (obsolete)

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:acquit

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• acquittal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• acquit in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1914) , “acquit”, in The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, volume I (A–C), revised edition, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., OCLC 1078064371.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ki/

Verb

acquit

1. third-person singular past historic of acquérir

English

Alternative forms

• acquittaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman acquitance, Middle French aquitance, from acquiter (“to acquit”). Compare later acquittal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??kw?t?ns/

Noun

acquittance (countable and uncountable, plural acquittances)

1. (now historical) A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand. [from 14th c.]
2. (now rare) Payment of debt; settlement. [from 14th c.]
3. (now historical) The release from a debt, or from some obligation or duty; exemption. [from 14th c.]
4. (obsolete) The dismissal of a legal charge against someone; acquittal. [15th–19th c.]
   • 1791, Ann Radcliffe, The Romance of the Forest, Oxford 1999, p. 82:

     This was a task more difficult than that of self acquittance.

5. (now rare) The acquittal of one's duties; the carrying out of fulfilment of a job or role. [from 17th c.]

Verb

acquittance (third-person singular simple present acquittances, present participle acquittancing, simple past and past participle acquittanced)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To acquit.

References

• acquittance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.