mea culpa

English - English

Definition of mea culpa in English English dictionary

My fault, due to my error; my bad

Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my fault", or "my own fault". In order to emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in "mea maxima culpa," which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault."

An acknowledgment of a personal error or fault

used humorously to admit that something is your fault

an acknowledgment of your error or guilt

official acknowledgment of fault or error (Latin for "my fault", "my mistake")

Hyphenation

mea cul·pa

Turkish pronunciation

mi kʌlpı

Synonyms

my bad, acknowledgment of error, confession, my fault, penance, repentance

Pronunciation

/ˈmē ˈkəlpə/ /ˈmiː ˈkʌlpə/

Etymology

[ "mA-&-'kul-p&, "mA-&au ] (noun.) 1602. From the Latin phrase mea culpa, from mea (“my, mine”) and culpa (“fault”)