mea culpa
noun
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Mea culpa, which means "through my fault" in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." Mea culpa is also a noun, however. A newspaper might issue a mea culpa for printing inaccurate information, or a politician might give a speech making mea culpas for past wrongdoings. Mea culpa is one of many English terms that derive from the Latin culpa, meaning "guilt." Some other examples are culpable ("meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful"), culprit ("one guilty of a crime or a fault"), and exculpate ("to clear from alleged fault or guilt").
Examples of mea culpa in a Sentence
John Frank, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
After his win the following year, SNL’s November 12 cold open was a mea culpa.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
On Tuesday, Holt emailed his mea culpa to Outside and nine other outlets.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 27 Sep. 2024
Whoopi Goldberg is offering a mea culpa for her friend Janet Jackson after the pop icon stirred controversy with her recent remarks on Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Mea culpa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mea%20culpa. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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