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culprit
culprit in the formula ‘Culprit, how will you be tried?’, formerly said by the Clerk of the Crown to a prisoner who pleaded Not Guilty; the accused XVII; (by assoc. with L. culpa guilt) offender XVIII. According to legal tradition, compounded of cul, short for AN. culpable guilty (cf. prec.), and pri(s)t ( = OF. prest, F. prêt) ready; it is supposed that, when the prisoner had pleaded Not Guilty, the Clerk replied with Culpable: prest daverrer notre bille, i.e. ‘Guilty: ready to aver our indictment’, and that this was noted in the form cul. prist.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "culprit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "culprit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-culprit.html T. F. HOAD. "culprit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-culprit.html |
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Culprit
CULPRITAn 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." |
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"Culprit." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Culprit." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701244.html "Culprit." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701244.html |
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culprit
cul·prit / ˈkəlprət; ˈkəlˌprit/ • n. a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed. ∎ the cause of a problem or defect. |
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Cite this article
"culprit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "culprit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-culprit.html "culprit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-culprit.html |
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culprit
culprit
•caret • Sanskrit • Prakrit
•ferret, inherit, merit
•egret • secret
•dispirit, skirret, spirit
•floret • pomfret • bowsprit
•barbiturate
•turret, worrit
•culprit • floweret • Margaret
•cellaret (US cellarette)
•banneret, lanneret
•hypocrite • preterite (US preterit)
•Everett, leveret
•favourite (US favorite)
•interpret, misinterpret
•basset, facet, tacet, tacit
•Narragansett, transit
•lancet
•cresset, Knesset
•exit • resit
•complicit, elicit, explicit, illicit, implicit, licit, solicit
•Tilsit • plebiscite • babysit • deficit
•cosset, posset
•Quonset • whatsit
•corset, Dorset, faucet
•gusset, russet
•dulcet
•tercet, verset
•ashet • planchet • bullshit • Bastet
•tomtit • bluetit
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Cite this article
"culprit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "culprit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-culprit.html "culprit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-culprit.html |
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