recuse

Verb

Verb Forms: recused, recusing, recuses

To disqualify oneself or a judge from a case due to conflict.
disqualify oneself (as a judge) in a particular case
challenge or except to a judge as being incompetent or interested, in canon and civil law
To reject or repudiate (an authority, a person, a court judgment, etc.).
To reject or repudiate (an authority, a person, a court judgment, etc.).
Of a judge, juror, or prosecutor: to declare (oneself) unable to participate in a court case due to an actual or potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.
To reject or repudiate (an authority, a person, a court judgment, etc.).
To object to (a judge, juror, or prosecutor) participating in a court case due to an actual or potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.
To refuse (to do something).
To dismiss (an appeal).
Of a judge, juror, or prosecutor: to declare oneself disqualified from trying a court case due to an actual or potential conflict of interest or lack of impartiality.

Examples

The district attorney recused from the case because he used to work for the company which was the defendant.
The judge recused herself from that case, citing a possible conflict of interest as one of the parties was a personal friend.
The Words With Friends judge had to recuse themselves from ruling on their friend’s dubious play.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Middle English recusen, from Old French recuser (modern French récuser (“to challenge; to impugn; (formal) to make an objection; (law) to recuse”), and from its etymon Latin recūsāre, the present active infinitive of recūsō (“to decline, refuse, reject; (law) to object to, protest”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’, denoting opposition or reversal) + causa (“cause, reason; (law) case, claim; etc.”) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Doublet of rouse and possibly ruse.
Cognates
* Catalan recusar
* French récuser
* Italian ricusare
* Old Occitan recuzar
* Portuguese recusar
* Spanish recusar

Synonyms

inhibit

Scrabble Score: 8

recuse: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
recuse: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
recuse: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

recuse: valid Words With Friends Word