term:

Acquit

acquit vb

ac·quit·ted
ac·quit·ting
[Old French acquiter to pay off, absolve, acquit, from a-, prefix marking causation + quite free (of an obligation)]
vt
: to discharge completely: as
a : to release from liability for a debt or other obligation usually used in agreements [forever release, , and discharge each other]
b : to absolve (a criminal defendant) of a charge by judicial process
c : to clear of wrongdoing [the fact…does not them of misrepresentation "In re Hiller, 694 P.2d 540 (1985)"]
vi
: to absolve a defendant of criminal liability [must if any reasonable doubt existed "Commonwealth v. Gagliardi, 638 N.E.2d 20 (1994)"] compare convict

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.