accuse

英 [ə'kjuːz] 美 [ə'kjuz]

accuse: 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 ‘accuse’, 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.

2. Some people accuse the tax inspectors of bully-boy tactics.: 有些人指控税务稽查员使用了流氓手段。

3. Talk things through in stages. Do not accuse or apportion blame.: 把事情按部就班地讲清楚。不要责难或归罪于人。

5. The American plane makers continue to accuse Airbus of unfair competition.: 美国飞机制造商继续指控空中客车公司不正当竞争。