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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.”
Synonyms
Examples of culprit in a Sentence
Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Behind many of these changes are two familiar culprits: inflation and interest rates.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Initially, Cook refused to answer police questions about Ellard's involvement in the killing, while Ellard claimed Cook was the likely culprit and said she was being used as a scapegoat.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
Of the beta-blockers recognized as psoriasis triggers, Inderal (propranolol) is the most common culprit.
—Maureen Salamon, Verywell Health, 10 Apr. 2024
But instead of diet soda being the culprit, weight gain may be, says Schuval.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
After investigating the carcass and the scene around it, officers determined a wolf was the culprit.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Apr. 2024
Most experts told WalletHub that the main culprit behind this increasingly pervasive tipping culture — and the fatigue surrounding it — is the ability to add tip screens to pretty much any point of sale system.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
Putin’s apparatus has pivoted in recent days to grudging acknowledgment that the likely culprits had an agenda unrelated to Ukraine: revenge for years of carnage carried out by Russian security forces in Syria, Chechnya and other Muslim states.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'culprit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near culprit
Cite this Entry
“Culprit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culprit. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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culprit
noun
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