innocence

Old French inocence, from Latin innocentia.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnəsn̩s/

innocence (countable and uncountable, plural innocences)

1. Absence of responsibility for a crime.

   Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.

2. Lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 9, in The China Governess‎:

     Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:innocence.

   In his innocence, he offered the stranger to bring the package to Paris, never suspecting it contained drugs.

3. Lack of ability or intention to harm or damage.

   Tests have demonstrated the innocence of this substance.

   • 1967, Sleigh, Barbara, Jessamy, 1993 edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 96:

     His unruly hair was slicked down with water, and as Jessamy introduced him to Miss Brindle his face assumed a cherubic innocence which would immediately have aroused the suspicions of anyone who knew him.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:innocence.
4. (obsolete) Imbecility; mental deficiency.

• (lack of sensitive subjects): naivety
• (absence of ability to harm): harmlessness
• (freedom from guilt): unguilt

• (absence of responsibility for a crime): guilt
• (absence of ability to harm): harmfulness

• innocent

Old French inocence, from Latin innocentia.

innocence f (plural innocences)

1. innocence

• innocent

• “innocence” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).