apology
n. countablen. a statement you make to say you are sorry for doing something wrong or causing a problem. It shows that you understand your mistake and want to fix the situation.
n. a formal or informal expression of regret or remorse for a fault, failure, or insult. Often functions as a social ritual to restore rapport after a transgression.
He sent a sincere apology for being late.
The company issued a public apology after the software update caused widespread service outages for its customers.
While a private apology may suffice for minor social slights, institutional failures often require a formal public statement to regain the trust of the community.
From French apologie, from Late Latin apologia, from Ancient Greek ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defence”), from ἀπολογοῦμαι (apologoûmai, “I speak in my defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), from ἀπό (apó, “from, off”) (see apo-) + λόγος (lógos, “speech”). Doublet of apologia. By surface analysis, apo- + -logy.
Commonly takes the preposition 'for' to indicate the reason, or 'to' to indicate the recipient.
I made an apology about my mistakeI made an apology for my mistakeThe noun apology is typically followed by the preposition 'for' when naming the error, not 'about'.