different between occasion vs excuse
occasion
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French occasion, from Old French occasiun, from Latin occasionem (accusative of occasio), noun of action from perfect passive participle occasus, from verb occido, from prefix ob- (“down", "away”) + verb cado (“fall”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??ke???n/
- Rhymes: -e???n
- Hyphenation: oc?ca?sion
Noun
occasion (countable and uncountable, plural occasions)
- A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance. [from 14th c.]
- 1690, Edmund Waller, The Maids Tragedy Alter'd
- I'll take the occasion which he gives to bring / Him to his death.
- 1690, Edmund Waller, The Maids Tragedy Alter'd
- The time when something happens.
- An occurrence or state of affairs which causes some event or reaction; a motive or reason. [from 14th c.]
- Something which causes something else; a cause. [from 14th c.]
- 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 130:
- it were too vile to say, and scarce to be beleeved, what we endured: but the occasion was our owne, for want of providence, industrie and government [...].
- 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 130:
- (obsolete) An occurrence or incident. [14th-18th c.]
- A particular happening; an instance or time when something occurred. [from 15th c.]
- Need; requirement, necessity. [from 16th c.]
- 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living
- after we have served ourselves and our own occasions
- 1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France
- when my occasions took me into France
- 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living
- A special event or function. [from 19th c.]
- A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion.
Derived terms
- occasional
- on occasion
- rise to the occasion
Translations
Verb
occasion (third-person singular simple present occasions, present participle occasioning, simple past and past participle occasioned)
- (transitive) To cause; to produce; to induce
- it is seen that the mental changes are occasioned by a change of polarity
Translations
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin occ?si?nem (accusative of occ?si?). Compare the inherited Old French ochoison, achaison (the latter being influenced by Latin acc?s?ti?).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?.ka.zj??/
Noun
occasion f (plural occasions)
- occasion, opportunity
- cause
- bargain, good deal
- secondhand or used item
Derived terms
Further reading
- “occasion” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
occasion From the web:
- what occasion is it today
- what occasionally mean
- what occasion mean
- what occasion was the gettysburg address given
- what occasion is tomorrow
- what occasion was the gettysburg address
- what occasion is there for this poem recitation
- what occasionally always never
excuse
English
Etymology
From Middle English excusen, borrowed from Old French escuser, from Latin exc?s?, exc?s?re (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English l?dian (“to excuse”) and l?dung (“an excuse”).
Pronunciation
- Verb
- (UK) enPR: ?kskyo?oz', IPA(key): /?k?skju?z/, /?ks?kju?z/
- (US) enPR: ?kskyo?oz', IPA(key): /?ks?kjuz/, /?ks?kjuz/
- Rhymes: -u?z
- Noun
- (UK) enPR: ?kskyo?os', IPA(key): /?k?skju?s/, /?ks?kju?s/
- (US) enPR: ?kskyo?os', IPA(key): /?ks?kjus/, /?ks?kjus/
- Rhymes: -u?s
Verb
excuse (third-person singular simple present excuses, present participle excusing, simple past and past participle excused)
- (transitive) To forgive; to pardon.
- c. 1685, John Sharp, A Discourse of Conscience
- If they say that he did sin in doing this, then they must at the same time acknowledge that a man's persuasion that a thing is a duty will not excuse him from guilt in practising it
- c. 1685, John Sharp, A Discourse of Conscience
- (transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
- (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.
- To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
- Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you?
Synonyms
- (to release from guilt, shame, or punishment): forgive, let off the hook, let pass, pardon, unguilt
Derived terms
- 'scuse
- excuse me
- excuse my French
- XQs
Translations
Noun
excuse (countable and uncountable, plural excuses)
- (countable, uncountable) Explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
- 1604-11, Bible (King James Version), Luke: XIV:18
- And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
- 1604-11, Bible (King James Version), Luke: XIV:18
- (law) A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
- (with preceding negative adjective, especially sorry, poor or lame) An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.
Usage notes
- We often say to make an excuse.
Synonyms
- (explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment): pretext release, clear, justify, forgive, tolerate, overlook, exempt, pardon, discharge, pretext, bear with, acquit, exonerate, absolve, pretense, vindicate.
Translations
Further reading
- excuse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- excuse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
French
Etymology
From excuser.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?k.skyz/
- (Colloquial) IPA(key): /?s.skyz/
Noun
excuse f (plural excuses)
- excuse
Verb
excuse
- first-person singular present indicative of excuser
- third-person singular present indicative of excuser
- first-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
- third-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
- second-person singular imperative of excuser
Further reading
- “excuse” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Latin
Participle
exc?se
- vocative masculine singular of exc?sus
Spanish
Verb
excuse
- Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of excusar.
- First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of excusar.
- Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of excusar.
- Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of excusar.
excuse From the web:
- what excuses you from jury duty
- what excuse to call in sick
- what excuses to use for work
- what excuse to not go to work
- what excuse do the conspirators use
- what reasons excuse you from jury duty
- what can excuse you from jury duty
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