ex-cūso (excuss-), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [causa; cf. accuso, from ad-causa; qs. to release from a charge, to free from blame; hence], to excuse a person or thing.
I Lit.
α With a personal object, aliquem alicui: Atticae meae velim me ita excuses, ut omnem culpam in te transferas, Cic. Att. 15, 28; cf.: aliquem alicui per litteras, id. Fam. 11, 15, 1; and: his omnibus me vehementer excusatum volo, id. Verr. 2, 1, 40, § 103.—With quod : Titium excusavit Vespa Terentius, quod eum brachium fregisse diceret, id. de Or. 2, 62, 253: Libo excusat Bibulum, quod is, etc., Caes. B. C. 3, 16, 3: primum me tibi excuso in eo ipso, in quo te accuso, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 2, 1: se de aliqua re, Caes. B. G. 4, 22, 1: de me excusando apud Apuleium, dederam ad te litteras, Cic. Att. 12, 14, 1: se alicui, Plaut. As. 4, 2, 4; Quint. 4, 1, 75 et saep.—In pass. : cura, ut excuser morbi causa in dies singulos, Cic. Att. 12, 13, 2: si citatus judex non responderit excuseturque Areopagites esse, etc., excuses himself as being , etc., id. Phil. 5, 5, 14: dixi, cur excusatus abirem, Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 7: apud Appuleium in dies ut excuser videbis, Cic. Att. 12, 15, 1: me excusatum esse apud Appuleium a Laterense, id. ib. 12, 17, 1.—
β With inanim. or abstr. objects, to excuse , apologize for : Varroni memineris excusare tarditatem litterarum mearum, Cic. Att. 15, 26 fin. : habitum permutatum, Quint. 3, 7, 6: palliolum, fascias, etc. (sola valetudo), id. 11, 3, 144: commentarios, id. 10, 7, 31: missos ignes, Ov. M. 2, 397; dolorem, id. ib. 4, 256: toros, Stat. Th. 2, 256: reditum Agrippinae ob imminentem partum et hiemem, her not returning , Tac. A. 1, 44.
II Transf.
A Aliquid (alicui), i. q. se propter aliquid, to allege in excuse , to plead as an excuse , to excuse one's self with.
α With acc.: propinquitatem excusavit, Cic. Phil. 8, 1, 1: morbum, id. ib. 9, 4, 8: inopiam (with calamitatem queri), Caes. B. C. 3, 20, 3: valetudinem, Liv. 6, 22 fin. : imbecillitatem, Suet. Tib. 6: vires, Ov. M. 14, 462: diversa, Tac. A. 3, 11 et saep.: ille Philippo Excusare laborem et mercenaria vincla, Quod non mane domum venisset, etc., Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 67: dictatorem se apud patres excusare solitum, Liv. 6, 39, 4: aliquid apud aliquem, Curt. 5, 10, 8; Suet. Tib. 68.— Pass. : quae apud Vitellium excusanda erant, Tac. H. 2, 85: excusata necessitas praesentium, id. ib. 1, 78: excusata rei familiaris mediocritate, Suet. Aug. 101: excusatus languor faucium, propter quem non adesset, id. Ner. 41 et saep.—
β With an object-clause : si prehensi sumus, excusemus, ebrios Nos fecisse, etc., Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 19 (but in id. Merc. 2, 3, 126, the correct reading is incusato, v. Ritschl ad h. l.): excusanti, minus datum ad occultandam facinoris invidiam, Suet. Ner. 33; id. Aug. 69.—
B Aliquem ab aliqua re, aliqua re, or alicui rei, to excuse , absolve one from any thing; to discharge , dispense with one (postAug.): a coepta (tutela) excusari, Dig. 27, 1, 11: collegarum filiorum tutela excusari, ib. 9; cf. Ambros. in Psa. 1, § 46: cui excusari mallet, Tac. A. 1. 12; Vulg. Luc. 14, 19. But (class.): se de aliqua re: legati venerunt, qui se de superioris temporis consilio excusarent, quod, etc., Caes. B. G. 4, 22, 1.—
C Se ab aliqua re, to shelter , protect one's self from any thing (post-class.): ut invicom se a calore excusent (plantae), Pall. Nov. 7, 2. —Hence,
D Aliquid aliqua re, to compensate , atone for any thing (post-Aug. and rare): nefas armis, Claud. de Bell. Get. 562; Stat. Th. 6, 44; Plin. Pan. 32, 4.
XI —Hence, excūsātus , a, um, P. a., excused (postAug. and rare): hoc et ego excusatior, si forte sum lapsus, et tu dignior laude, Plin. Ep. 8, 14, 11; 4, 5, 4: excusatissimus essem, etiamsi, etc., Sen. Const. Sap. 29.—Adv.: excūsātē , without blame , excusably : fieri id videtur excusate, Quint. 2, 1, 13.— Comp. : quod exoratus excusatius facies, Plin. Ep. 9, 21, 3; Tac. A. 3, 68; Just. 32, 2.