What does absolve mean?

Definitions for absolve
æbˈzɒlv, -ˈsɒlvab·solve

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word absolve.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. shrive, absolveverb

    grant remission of a sin to

    "The priest absolved him and told him to say ten Hail Mary's"

  2. absolve, justify, freeverb

    let off the hook

    "I absolve you from this responsibility"

Wiktionary

  1. absolveverb

    To set free, release or discharge (from obligations, debts, responsibility etc.).

    You will absolve a subject from his allegiance.

  2. absolveverb

    To pronounce free from or give absolution for a penalty, blame, or guilt.

  3. absolveverb

    To pronounce free or give absolution from sin.

  4. absolveverb

    To finish; to accomplish.

  5. absolveverb

    To resolve or explain.

  6. Etymology: First attested in the early 15th Century. From absolven, from absolvere, present active infinitive of absolvo, from ab + solvo.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To ABSOLVEverb

    Etymology: absolvo, Lat.

    Your great goodness, out of holy pity,
    Absolv’d him with an axe. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

    Our victors, blest in peace, forget their wars,
    Enjoy past dangers, and absolve the stars. Thomas Tickell.

    As he hopes, and gives out, by the influence of his wealth, to be here absolved; in condemning this man, you have an opportunity of belying that general scandal, of redeeming the credit lost by former judgments. Jonathan Swift, Miscellanies.

    Compell’d by threats to take that bloody oath,
    And the act ill, I am absolv’d by both. Edmund Waller, Maid’s Trag.

    This command, which must necessarily comprehend the persons of our natural fathers, must mean a duty we owe them, distinct from our obedience to the magistrate, and from which the most absolute power of princes cannot absolve us. John Locke.

    But all is calm in this eternal sleep;
    Here grief forgets to groan, and love to weep;
    Ev’n superstition loses ev’ry fear;
    For God, not man, absolves our frailties here. Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard.

    If that which is so supposed infinitely distant from what is now current, is distant from us by a finite interval, and not infinitely, then that one circulation which preceded it, and must necessarily be like ours, and consequently absolved in the space of twenty-four hours. Matthew Hale, Origin of Mankind.

    What cause
    Mov’d the creator, in his holy rest
    Through all eternity, so late to build
    In chaos; and the work begun, how soon
    Absolv’d. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. vii. l. 94.

Wikipedia

  1. absolve

    Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between denominations. Some traditions see absolution as a sacrament — the Sacrament of Penance. This concept is found in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Assyrian Church of the East and the Lutheran Church. In other traditions, including the Anglican Communion and Methodism, absolution is seen as part of the sacramental life of the church, although both traditions are theologically predicated upon the Book of Common Prayer, which counts absolution amongst the five rites described as "Commonly called Sacraments, but not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel". Confession and Absolution is practiced in the Irvingian Churches, though it is not a sacrament. The concept of private absolution within the life of the Church is largely rejected by the Reformed Protestant tradition, because Calvinist theology holds that the elect have no need for absolution, and the reprobate cannot benefit from it.

ChatGPT

  1. absolve

    Absolve is a verb meaning to declare someone free from blame, guilt, or responsibility. It can also mean to give formal release from an obligation, promise, or punishment. This term is often used in religious contexts to refer to the forgiveness of sins.

  2. absolve

    Absolve refers to the act of setting someone free from guilt, blame, responsibility, or obligation. In a religious context, it may specifically refer to the forgiveness or remission of sins or offenses.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Absolveverb

    to set free, or release, as from some obligation, debt, or responsibility, or from the consequences of guilt or such ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment

  2. Absolveverb

    to free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); -- said of the sin or guilt

  3. Absolveverb

    to finish; to accomplish

  4. Absolveverb

    to resolve or explain

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Absolve

    ab-zolv′, v.t. to loose or set free: to pardon: to acquit: to discharge (with from).—ns. Absolv′er, one who gives absolution or acquits; Absolv′itor, a decision favourable to a defender.—v.t. Assoil′zie, in Scots law, to absolve the accused on the grounds that the evidence disproves or does not establish the charge. [L. ab, from, solvĕre, solutum, to loose. See Solve.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of absolve in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of absolve in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of absolve in a Sentence

  1. Bronx District:

    A Bronx jury has sent a clear message that a uniform and a badge does not absolve anyone from committing a crime, and that even a criminal behind bars deserves to be treated like a human being.

  2. Tom Jones:

    The fact that Dave Chipman has resolved complaints of discrimination in some kind of settlement in a closed-door room doesn't absolve him of behaving inappropriately, it means the accuser didn’t want to spend months, if not years, literally and figuratively litigating this issue.

  3. Justice Anthony Kennedy:

    The First Amendment is often inconvenient. But that is besides the point. Inconvenience does not absolve the government of its obligation to tolerate speech.

  4. Glenn Youngkin:

    Qualified immunity does not absolve law enforcement from extreme had behavior, it protects them from frivolous civil lawsuits.

  5. Mike Pompeo:

    This was an Iranian attack, it's not the case that you can subcontract out the devastation of five percent of the world's global energy supply and think that you can absolve yourself of responsibilities.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

absolve#10000#74511#100000

Translations for absolve

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • оправдавам, освобождавам, опрощавамBulgarian
  • lossprechen, entbinden, freisprechen, absolvierenGerman
  • απαλλάσω, συγχωρώGreek
  • exonerar, absolver, exculparSpanish
  • معاف کردن, آمرزیدن, عفو کردنPersian
  • [[todeta]] [[syyttömäksi]], ratkaista, suorittaa, armahtaa, selittää, vapauttaa, [[antaa]] [[synninpäästö]], [[vapauttaa]] [[syytöksistä]], antaa anteeksiFinnish
  • absoudreFrench
  • feloldozHungarian
  • assolvereItalian
  • 解放Japanese
  • absolvōLatin
  • uitleggen, vergeven, ontheffen, kwijtschelden, afwerken, vrijspreken, beëindigenDutch
  • frikjenne, tilgiNorwegian
  • absolver, redimir, exonerar, terminar, solucionar, eximir, resolver, acabarPortuguese
  • ch'uyanchayQuechua
  • прощать, отпускатьRussian
  • frikalla, frita, absolution, lösa, avlösa, fritaga, frikännaSwedish
  • tha choVietnamese

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"absolve." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/absolve>.

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