Definitions
someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
Word origin
From Anglo-Norman cul. prit, contraction of culpable: prest (d'averrer nostre bille) 'guilty: ready (to prove our case)', words used by prosecutor in opening a trial, mistaken in English for an address to the defendant. See culpable. It may have been influenced by Latin culpa (“blame, fault”).
Used in a sentence
“I have tightened the loose bolt that was the culprit; it should work now.”
“Railway police are making a full investigation into the matter, and the headmasters of schools have been approached, but it is difficult in such cases to discover the culprits, unless they are caught red-handed.”
“But the Dutch dominated only to waste numerous efforts, with Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie the main culprits.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Guilty party”7 letters
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