culpa

[ kuhl-puh; Latin kool-pah ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural cul·pae [kuhl, -pee, kool, -pahy].

Roman and Civil Law. negligence; neglect ( dolus ):
One is not always liable before law for culpa resulting in damages.
guilt; sin.

culpa

/ ˈkʊlpɑː /

Origin of culpa¹

1250–1300; Old English < Latin: fault, liability, blame

Origin of culpa¹

Latin: fault

On August 17, just a few weeks before the fall campaign iced off, he had to go on national TV to offer a mea kinda sorta culpa.

In Washington, where politicians have mastered the art of the mea culpa, those words would not normally warrant much attention.

Like Gates, I also lost my policy objectivity—mea culpa—but for all the right reasons, as I believed then and still do.

Now I think Obama was right to do that mea culpa bit last week.

At the end, the two embraced and Eminem flicked off the crowd, a middle-finger mea culpa.

I know too well how little I profited by all his warnings, and I cry, Mea culpa.

For this, I can only beat my breast violently and mutter mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

If he had been differently brought up, he might have beaten his breast and cried, "Mea culpa!"

Etiam si quis a culpa vacuus in amicitiam ejus inciderat, quotidiano usu per similisque ceteris efficiebatur.

He closeth his eyes and saith his mea culpa and setteth all his hopes in God.

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