excuse vs forgive

excuse is a noun but forgive is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
excuse	Yes	No	Yes	No
forgive	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, forgive is a hypernym of excuse; that is, forgive is a word with a broader meaning than excuse:

As verbs, forgive is a hypernym of excuse; that is, forgive is a word with a broader meaning than excuse:

excuse (noun)	forgive (noun)
a poor example
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
a note explaining an absence

excuse (verb)	forgive (verb)
accept an excuse for	stop blaming or grant forgiveness
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning	absolve from payment
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
serve as a reason or cause or justification of
grant exemption or release to
ask for permission to be released from an engagement