All 4 Uses
acquit
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
(Edited)
- "You think they'll acquit him that fast?" asked Jem.
p. 236.4 *acquit = officially declare "not guilty"
- It was either a straight acquittal or nothing.
p. 250.8acquittal = official finding of "not guilty"
- You might like to know that there was one fellow who took considerable wearing down— in the beginning he was rarin' for an outright acquittal.
p. 253.9
- I told Jem if that was so, then why didn't Tom's jury, made up of folks like the Cunninghams, acquit Tom to spite the Ewells?
p. 258.4acquit = officially declare "not guilty"
Definitions:
-
(1)
(acquit as in: she was acquitted) to officially find "not guilty" of criminal chargesBeing acquitted does not mean the court declared the person innocent. It simply means there was not enough evidence to prove guilt according to the law.
The amount of evidence required depends on the type of case. In a criminal case, where someone could go to prison, the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt—a very high standard. In a civil case, a lawsuit usually about money, the plaintiff only needs to show that the defendant is responsible more likely than not—a much lower standard.
This is why the same person can be found "not guilty" in a criminal trial (their guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt) but still be found guilty in a civil trial for the same actions (because their guilt was more likely than not). -
(2)
(acquit as in: she acquitted herself well) to handle oneself in a specified way -- which is typically in a positive way
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much less commonly and archaically, acquit can have other meanings. It can mean to release from a duty, as when Jane Austen wrote "I cannot acquit him of that duty" in her novel, Pride and Prejudice.
It can also mean to perform or complete an obligation, as when Charles Dickens wrote "I have a business charge to acquit myself of," in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities.