'exculpation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'exculpātiō' (from the verb 'exculpāre'), where 'ex-' meant 'out of' and 'culpa' meant 'fault' or 'blame'.

'exculpation' changed from the Medieval/Medieval Latin word 'exculpātiō' (from the verb 'exculpāre') and eventually became the modern English word 'exculpation' via learned borrowing from Latin.

Initially it meant 'removal or clearing from blame' in Latin usage, and over time it has retained that core meaning as 'the act of clearing from blame' in modern English.