scusare
to excuse
verb skoo-ZAH-reh Rare
Origin: Latin excusare, from ex- + causa (cause)
Also means
to forgive
Usage Note
Scusare and its reflexive scusarsi are the standard ways to apologize in Italian. Mi scusi is the formal 'excuse me' (addressing someone as Lei), while scusami is informal. Note that scusa (noun, f) means 'excuse' or 'apology'. It takes avere as its auxiliary.
Examples
"Mi scusi per il ritardo."
Natural Translation
Excuse me for the delay.
Literal Translation
To-me excuse for the delay.

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