A*pol"o*gy (&?;), n.; pl.
Apologies. [L. apologia, Gr. &?;; &?; from + &?;:
cf. F. apologie. See Apologetic.] 1.
Something said or written in defense or justification of what appears
to others wrong, or of what may be liable to disapprobation; justification;
as, Tertullian's Apology for Christianity.
It is not my intention to make an apology for my
poem; some will think it needs no excuse, and others will receive none.
Dryden.
2. An acknowledgment intended as an atonement for
some improper or injurious remark or act; an admission to another of a
wrong or discourtesy done him, accompanied by an expression of
regret.
3. Anything provided as a substitute; a
makeshift.
He goes to work devising apologies for window
curtains.
Dickens.
Syn. -- Excuse. An apology, in the original sense
of the word, was a pleading off from some charge or imputation, by
explaining and defending one's principles or conduct. It therefore amounted
to a vindication. One who offers an apology, admits himself to have
been, at least apparently, in the wrong, but brings forward some palliating
circumstance, or tenders a frank acknowledgment, by way of reparation. We
make an apology for some breach of propriety or decorum (like rude
expressions, unbecoming conduct, etc.), or some deficiency in what might be
reasonably expected. We offer an excuse when we have been guilty of
some breach or neglect of duty; and we do it by way of extenuating our
fault, and with a view to be forgiven. When an excuse has been
accepted, an apology may still, in some cases, be necessary or
appropriate. "An excuse is not grounded on the claim of innocence,
but is rather an appeal for favor resting on some collateral circumstance.
An apology mostly respects the conduct of individuals toward each
other as equals; it is a voluntary act produced by feelings of decorum, or
a desire for the good opinion of others." Crabb.
A*pol"o*gy (&?;), v. i. To offer an
apology. [Obs.]
For which he can not well apology.
J. Webster.
