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We would be culpable—that is, deserving of blame—if we didn’t clearly explain the origin of culprit. Yes, it is related to culpable, which itself comes (via Middle English and Anglo-French) from the Latin verb culpare, meaning “to blame.” But the etymology of culprit is not so straightforward. In Anglo-French, culpable meant “guilty,” and this was abbreviated “cul.” in legal briefs and texts. Culprit was formed by combining this abbreviation with the Anglo-French word prest or prit, meaning “ready”; literally, a culprit was one who was ready to be proven guilty. The word was eventually adopted into English and used to refer to someone who is accused of a wrongdoing. The word has since taken on an additional meaning: “the source or cause of a problem.”
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Examples of culprit in a Sentence
Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
Sitting around: The other culprit is letting that topping sit around for too long after baking but before serving, as the steam emanating from the casserole will kill that crunch.
—Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024
The video doesn’t clearly show the person who shouted the slur, but Kelce seemed to believe the culprit was someone wearing a Penn State hoodie who was filming him.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
California’s tax incentive program is cited as the main culprit for driving creators outside of the city to more hospitable locations like Georgia and New York, as well as Australia and European locations like London.
—Kristen Lopez, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near culprit
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culprit. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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culprit
noun
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