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"to accuse" in seven languages

Meaningto accuse

Spanish

acusar

/akuˈsaɾ/

learned

Also 'to acknowledge': acusar recibo.

French

accuser

/akyze/

learned

Italian

accusare

/akkuˈzare/

learned

Portuguese

acusar

/akuˈzah/

learned

Romanian

acuza

/akuˈza/

learned

Catalan

acusar

/əkuˈza/

learned

English

accuse

/əˈkjuz/

from Latin/French · Old French acuser, from Latin ACCŪSĀRE

English → Italianto accuseaccusareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ACCŪSĀRE‘to call to account (AD + CAUSA)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

To accuse is to bring someone 'to a cause', a lawsuit. Spanish simplifies the double c; Italian keeps it; French writes it but says a single k.

English relatives: accusation, cause, excuse

Sound laws at work

French fronts long U to [y]

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In a sentence

  • esLo acusaron de mentir.
  • frOn l'a accusé d'avoir menti.
  • itLo hanno accusato di aver mentito.
  • ptEles o acusaram de mentir.
  • roL-au acuzat că minte.
  • caEl van acusar de mentir.
  • enThey accused him of lying.

The Latin family

CAUS-· cause, case

CAUSA 'reason, lawsuit' became the ordinary Romance word for 'thing': cosa, chose, cosa — a 'matter' in the legal sense, generalized. The learned doublet causa, cause kept the original meaning, and the courtroom sense lives on in accuse and excuse. Portuguese coisa (Old Portuguese cousa) and Catalan cosa followed; Romanian says lucru, from LUCRUM 'gain'.

  • CAUSAMcause; case → thing

    escosafrchoseitcosaptcoisacacosa

  • CAUSAMcause (learned)

    escausafrcauseitcausaptcausarocauzăcacausaencause

  • CAUSĀRĪ (Med. Lat. CAUSĀRE)to plead a case; to cause

    escausarfrcauseritcausareptcausarrocauzacacausarencause

  • ACCŪSĀREto call to account

    esacusarfraccuseritaccusareptacusarroacuzacaacusarenaccuse

  • EXCŪSĀREto free from a charge

    esexcusarfrexcuseritscusareptescusarroscuzacaexcusarenexcuse

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