Translation
to release, set free; to acquit, absolve; to complete
Examples
.
The judge acquitted the man.
a .
The priest absolved him from his sins.
absolutum .
The work was at last completed.
.
No one can absolve himself.
.
He was acquitted of a serious charge.
Absolvo, absolvere, absolvi, absolutum is third conjugation, ab plus solvo, "loosen away from". Note that the supine drops the v: absolutum, not absolvtum, which is why English took absolute rather than anything with a v in it.
In court it is the opposite of condemno, and the charge you are acquitted of goes into the ablative, with or without de: absolvi crimine or de crimine. In the confessional it takes a plus the ablative of the sins. The third sense, "to finish off", is the one behind absolutus meaning "complete, perfect", and thence the philosophers' absolute, a thing complete in itself and dependent on nothing. Same word, three professions, and a reader who assumes only the church sense will misread every trial scene in the corpus.
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absolvo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "absolvo" (to release, set free; to acquit, absolve; to complete): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 15.