accuse: [13] Accuse comes via Old French acuser from the Latin verb accūsāre, which was based on the noun causa ‘cause’ – but cause in the sense not of ‘something that produces a result’, but of ‘legal action’ (a meaning preserved in English cause list, for instance). Hence accūsāre was to ‘call someone to account for their actions’.
The grammatical term accusative [15] (denoting the case of the object of a verb in Latin and other languages) is derived ultimately from accūsāre, but it arose originally owing to a mistranslation. The Greek term for this case was ptósis aitiātiké ‘case denoting causation’ – a reasonable description of the function of the accusative. Unfortunately the Greek verb aitiásthai also meant ‘a(chǎn)ccuse’, and it was this sense that Latin grammarians chose to render when adopting the term. => cause, excuse
accuse (v.)
c. 1300, "charge (with an offense, etc.), impugn, blame," from Old French acuser "to accuse, indict, reproach, blame" (13c.), earlier "announce, report, disclose" (12c.), or directly from Latin accusare "to call to account," from ad- "against" (see ad-) + causari "give as a cause or motive," from causa "reason" (see cause (n.)). Related: Accused; accusing; accusingly.
雙語例句
1. I hate it when people accuse us of that.
我討厭別人就那件事指責(zé)我們。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Some people accuse the tax inspectors of bully-boy tactics.
有些人指控稅務(wù)稽查員使用了流氓手段。
來自柯林斯例句
3. Talk things through in stages. Do not accuse or apportion blame.
把事情按部就班地講清楚。不要責(zé)難或歸罪于人。
來自柯林斯例句
4. He laughs loudly when I accuse him of fibbing.
當(dāng)我指責(zé)他說謊時，他大笑起來。
來自柯林斯例句
5. The American plane makers continue to accuse Airbus of unfair competition.