Etymologically
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culprit

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkʌlpɹɪt/[1]

Etymology

According to legal tradition, it comes from the Anglo-French abbreviation cul. prit,[2][3][4][5][6] for Culpable: prest (d'averrer nostre bille) “Guilty: (we are) ready (to prove our indictment)”,[2][3][4] said by the clerk of the crown when a prisoner pleaded not guilty.[2][7] Culpable is from Latin culpābilis “guilty”, and prest, prit “ready” from Latin praestō.[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Used only in the formula Culprit, how will you be tried?, said by the clerk of the crown to a prisoner pleading not guilty (1678).[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

When law French went out of use in the courts, the abbreviation was misunderstood as a form of address to the prisoner.[2][3][4] By 1700 it meant “the accused” (as used by Dryden),[7][3] and by 1769, partly under the influence of Latin culpa “guilt, fault”, it meant an offender.[7][3][4] The OED calls this change a result of popular etymology.[7][4] Today it can also mean the cause of a problem, not only a person.[5][1]

Timeline

  • 1678 – in the formula addressed to a prisoner.[7][3][2]
  • 1700 – the accused.[7][3]
  • 1769 – an offender, one guilty of a fault.[7][3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person guilty of or responsible for a crime or fault.
  2. Someone accused of or charged with a crime.
  3. The source or cause of a problem.
  • mea culpa
  • exculpate
  • inculpate
  • culpable
  • presto

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press