You might have heard this term in a courtroom drama where exculpatory evidence was introduced at the last minute to clear the defendant of all charges. “Exculpatory” comes from the Medieval Latin “exculpare,” meaning “to clear from blame,” which came from the Latin phrase “ex culpa,” meaning “out of, or from, blame.” The adjective “exculpatory” describes anything that can be used to exculpate, meaning “to clear from alleged fault or guilt”; it’s usually paired with “evidence.” A more modern way of referencing exculpatory evidence might be to say, “I have receipts,” meaning “I have the evidence to prove what happened.”