culprit
Use Culprit in a sentence
prɪt noun
1.
a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault.
2.
a person arraigned for an offense.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Culprit
Collins
World English Dictionary
culprit (ˈkʌlprɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | law a person awaiting trial, esp one who has pleaded not guilty |
| 2. | the person responsible for a particular offence, misdeed, etc |
| [C17: from Anglo-French cul-, short for culpable guilty + prit ready, indicating that the prosecution was ready to prove the guilt of the one charged] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Culprit
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
culprit
1678, from Anglo-Fr. cul prit, contraction of Culpable: prest (d'averrer nostre bille) "guilty, ready (to prove our case)," words used by prosecutor in opening a trial. It seems the abbreviation cul. prit was mistaken in Eng. for an address to the defendant.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Moreover, as commentators in the press pointed out, the culprit was a graduate of a trade school rather than of a grande école.
The crudest attacks come with the culprit's electronic fingerprints.
The levees that protect the city from river flooding are actually a culprit in wetland loss.
In addition to fertilizers, the other primary culprit is the consumption of fossil fuels.
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
