culprit

(kŭl'prĭt)
n.

1. One charged with an offense or crime.
2. One guilty of a fault or crime.

[Probably from cul. prit, abbreviation for Anglo-Norman *culpable: prit d'averrer nostre bille, guilty: (I am) ready to aver our indictment : culpable, guilty (from Latin culpābilis; see culpable) + *prit, ready (variant of prest , from Latin praestō; see presto).]

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n

Definition: guilty party
Antonyms: innocent

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An individual who has been formally charged with a criminal offense but who has not yet been tried and convicted.

Culprit is a colloquial rather than a legal term and is commonly applied to someone who is guilty of a minor degree of moral reprehensibility. According to Sir William Blackstone, the term is most likely a derivative of the archaic mode of arraignment during which upon a prisoner's plea of not guilty the cleric would say culpabilis prit, meaning "he is guilty and the crown is ready." The more common derivation is from culpa, meaning "fault or blame."

IN BRIEF: A guilty person or thing.

But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something else. In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit. Weeds are people's idea, not nature's. — Unknown.

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For a list of words related to culprit, see:

• Morality or Character
• Pranks and Tricks - culprit: one guilty of wrongdoing or mischief

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See words rhyming with "culprit."

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - tiltalt, skyldig

Nederlands (Dutch)
dader, schuldige, boosdoener

Français (French)
n. - coupable, responsable, (Jur) accusé

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schuldiger, Täter

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ένοχος, φταίχτης, υπαίτιος, δράστης

Italiano (Italian)
colpevole

Português (Portuguese)
n. - culpado (m)

Русский (Russian)
преступник

Español (Spanish)
n. - culpable, acusado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - missdådare, syndare

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
被控犯罪的人, 罪犯, 刑事被告

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 被控犯罪的人, 罪犯, 刑事被告

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 죄인, 피의자, 미결수

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 犯罪者, 犯人, 被告人, 未決囚

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) المذنب, الجاني, المجرم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פושע, נאשם‬

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