different between release vs excuse

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English relesen, relessen, from Old French relaisser (variant of relascher).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???li?s/
• Rhymes: -i?s

Noun

release (countable and uncountable, plural releases)

1. The event of setting (someone or something) free (e.g. hostages, slaves, prisoners, caged animals, hooked or stuck mechanisms).
2. (software) The distribution of an initial or new and upgraded version of a computer software product; the distribution can be either public or private.
3. Anything recently released or made available (as for sale).

4. That which is released, untied or let go.

5. (law) The giving up of a claim, especially a debt.
6. Liberation from pain or suffering.
7. (biochemistry) The process by which a chemical substance is set free.
8. (phonetics, sound synthesis) The act or manner of ending a sound.
9. (railways, historical) In the block system, a printed card conveying information and instructions to be used at intermediate sidings without telegraphic stations.
10. A device adapted to hold or release a device or mechanism as required.
    1. A catch on a motor-starting rheostat, which automatically releases the rheostat arm and so stops the motor in case of a break in the field circuit.
    2. The catch on an electromagnetic circuit breaker for a motor, triggered in the event of an overload.
    3. The lever or button on a camera that opens the shutter to allow a photograph to be taken
11. Orgasm.

12. (music) A kind of bridge used in jazz music.

Compounds

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

release (third-person singular simple present releases, present participle releasing, simple past and past participle released)

1. To let go (of); to cease to hold or contain.

2. To make available to the public.

3. To free or liberate; to set free.

4. To discharge.

5. (telephony) (of a call) To hang up.

6. (law) To let go, as a legal claim; to discharge or relinquish a right to, as lands or tenements, by conveying to another who has some right or estate in possession, as when the person in remainder releases his right to the tenant in possession; to quit.
7. To loosen; to relax; to remove the obligation of.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     punishments inflicted and released

8. (soccer) To set up; to provide with a goal-scoring opportunity
9. (biochemistry) To set free a chemical substance.
10. (intransitive) to come out; be out.

Antonyms

• hold

Translations

Etymology 2

re- +? lease

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?i??li?s/
• Rhymes: -i?s

Verb

release (third-person singular simple present releases, present participle releasing, simple past and past participle released)

1. (transitive) To lease again; to grant a new lease of; to let back.

Translations

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)

1. (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

2. (transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.

3. (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.

4. 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)

1. (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.

2. (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.
3. (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)

1. excuse

Verb

excuse

1. first-person singular present indicative of excuser
2. third-person singular present indicative of excuser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of excuser
5. 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

1. vocative masculine singular of exc?sus

Spanish

Verb

excuse

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of excusar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of excusar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of excusar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of excusar.