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Mea culpa, which means "through my fault" in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." Mea culpa is also a noun, however.
Mea culpa is a direct loan of a Latin phrase meaning ‘through my (own) fault.” It’s made of the parts mea, meaning “by me” or “through me,” and culpa, meaning “fault.” Culpa is also the root of the words culpable, meaning “deserving blame,” and culprit, meaning “a person guilty of something.”
mea culpa in American English. (ˈmeɑː ˈkulpɑː, English ˈmeiə ˈkʌlpə, ˈmiə) Latin. adverb or interjection. through my fault; my fault (used as an acknowledgment of one's responsibility) Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC.
mea culpa. exclamation. humorous uk / ˌmeɪ.ə ˈkʊl.pə / us / ˌmeɪ.ə ˈkʊl.pə /. Add to word list. used to admit that something was your fault. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Admitting & confessing. acknowledge something as something.
n. An acknowledgment of a personal error or fault: The authors issued a mea culpa after their plagiarism was revealed. interj. Used to express guilt for a personal error or fault. [Latin meā culpā, through my fault : meā, feminine ablative of meus, my + culpā, ablative of culpa, fault.]
mea culpa. An expression from Catholic ritual that assigns blame to oneself: “I gave you the wrong directions to my house — mea culpa.”. From Latin, meaning “my fault” or “my blame.”. Discover More.
Definition of mea culpa exclamation in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
