Assoilzied

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Released from blame, guilt, or a formal charge, as when a court or church declares someone free of wrongdoing
2. Cleared of a accusation or duty, having been formally pronounced free of guilt or responsibility
3. Pronounced innocent or relieved of an obligation, especially by a judge or in a religious setting

Etymology: "Assoilzied" is the past tense and past participle of "assoilzie," a Scottish form of "assoil," meaning to absolve someone of guilt or sin, or to formally acquit them. In Scots law, a court that "assoilzied" a defender cleared them of the charge, so the word still carries that courtroom flavour. The verb came into Scots from Scottish Middle English "assolyhe" and "assolȝe," which kept the sounds of the Anglo-Norman "as(s)oilier" and Old French "as(s)oille." Those French forms ultimately go back to Latin "absolvere," "to loosen from," which is also the source of English "absolve." English speakers in England dropped the medial syllable, leaving "assoil" in the south, while Scots kept it audible in spelling and pronunciation, giving the "-zie" ending its distinctive look.