| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| culprit |
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| SYLLABICATION: | cul·prit |
| PRONUNCIATION: | k l pr t |
| NOUN: | 1. One charged with an offense or crime. 2. One guilty of a fault or crime. | | ETYMOLOGY: | 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 culp bilis; see culpable) + *prit, ready (variant of prest, from Latin praest ; see presto).
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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