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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Judges recuse themselves; others excuse themselves. Why the difference?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
recuse has a much narrower def'n:
To disqualify or seek to disqualify from participation in a decision on grounds such as prejudice or personal involvement. [AHD4]
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Mmm, yes, thank you; but I was wondering more about what caused the one to start with re- and the other to start with ex-. Sorry I didn't make that clear.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
The short answer is they came that way from the Latin. Excusare meant pretty much the same thing in Latin as it does in English. Recusare has drifted a bit from its Latin meaning of 'refuse, decline, be reluctant.' It also had the legal meaning of 'object, plead in defence [sic].' Does it help if you think of the ex- as meaning 'out of', not 'formerly' and the re- a an intensifier, not a duplication?
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
'refuse, decline, be reluctant Aha! Thank you!
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