Word of the Day

: November 27, 2023

culprit

noun KUL-prit

What It Means

Culprit refers to a person who has committed a crime or done something wrong. Culprit can also refer to the source or cause of a problem.

// The break-in was witnessed by several neighbors, and the culprit was quickly apprehended.

// Our bread-baking effort was disappointing; the bread failed to rise, and apparently old yeast was the culprit.

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culprit in Context

“A severe housing shortage is the main culprit for steep housing costs. The US is short of anywhere between an estimated 1.5 million and 5.5 million homes. High interest rates are scaring off both would-be buyers and sellers and slowing rates of homebuilding.” — Eliza Relman, Business Insider, 1 Oct. 2023

Did You Know?

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.”