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Stage 1 of 3
acquietare
Medieval Latin · medieval
"to set free, to satisfy a claim"
to satisfy a debt, to set free, from ad- (to) and quietus (at rest)
2
Stage 2 of 3
aquiter
Old French · medieval
"to discharge, to clear of a charge"
carried into French legal vocabulary for discharging an obligation or clearing a charge
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Stage 3 of 3
acquittal
English · 1400s
"a formal declaration that a defendant is not guilty"
settled as the English word for a formal clearing of a criminal charge
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