mea culpa
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mea culpa
- /ˌmeɪ.əˈkʊl.pə/
- /ˌmeɪ.əˈkʌl.pə/
- /ˌmiː.əˈkʊl.pə/
- /ˌmiː.əˈkʌl.pə/
Where it comes from
From the Latin phrase meā culpā (“through my fault”), ablative case of mea culpa (“my fault, guilt”), taken from the Confiteor, a traditional penitential prayer in Western Christianity.
noun mea culpas · mea culpae · meis culpis
-
An instance of mea culpa; an apology.
For Example, when St. Anthony ſaid his Confiteor, which he did often enough, all the Spectators fell down on their Knees, and gave themſelves ſuch rude Mea Culpa’s as was enough to beat the breath out of their Bodies.
Similar: peccavi
verb mea culpa's · mea culpa'ing · mea culpa'ed
- To apologize for something, especially excessively. When it was over and he grew tired of not being invited to the good parties on the Vineyard, he mea culpa’ed his way back into the good graces of the liberals who’d abandoned old LBJ years earlier.
Translations
Every language
noun my fault, due to my error
| Español | culpa mía, mi culpa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 내 탓 nae tat, 내 잘못 nae jalmot |
| हिन्दी | मेरी ग़लती merī ġaltī, मेरी ग़लती है merī ġaltī hai |
| Português | minha culpa |
| Français | mea culpa |
| Deutsch | mea culpa, meine Schuld, Asche auf mein Haupt |
| Italiano | colpa mia |
| Ελληνικά | ήμαρτον ímarton |
| Русский | моя́ вина mojá vina |
| עברית | טעות שלי |
Talk about this word "mea culpa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mea%20culpa. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mea culpa. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mea%20culpa "mea culpa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mea%20culpa.Cite this
@misc{mea_culpa_2026,
title = {mea culpa},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mea%20culpa},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
