Absolver

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /æbˈzɑl.vɚ/

Definitions

1. A person who releases another from guilt or responsibility, especially in a moral or spiritual sense
2. Someone who pardons or forgives a fault, removing blame or sin
3. An individual who grants forgiveness or clears someone of blame for a wrongdoing

Etymology: "Absolver" is an agent noun built from the verb "absolve" plus the suffix "-er," which names someone who performs an action. The verb "absolve" came into English from Latin "absolvere," meaning "to loosen from" or "to set free," from "ab" ("from") and "solvere" ("to loose"), so an absolver is literally one who loosens a person from a burden, debt, or guilt. The same Latin root gives English "solve," which carries the idea of untying a knot. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the word it is attached to. It descends from Latin "-arius," which passed through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er," and it reached English in its Old English form "-ere" by way of the Germanic languages. Its job is simple: attach it to a verb and you get the person doing that verb, so a baker bakes and a teacher teaches, and an absolver absolves.

Synonyms: forgiver, pardon, exonerator