What Is the Meaning of Mea Culpa?

What Does Mea Culpa Mean?

A loan phrase, mea culpa comes to us from the Latin language. The earliest use of the phrase in the English language is typically cited as the thirteenth century.¹ Meaning “through my fault,” it came into use via a Catholic prayer of confession² —the Confiteor (Latin for “I confess”).

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About Loanwords & Loan Phrases like Mea Culpa

The English language is full of loanwords and loan phrases—terms from other languages that have entered the English language lexicon without translation. Latin and Greek words and phrases are common, but you’ll also find loan words from other languages:

• Chinese: kowtow
• French: divorcé and divorcée, toilet
• German: berserk, kaput, schadenfreude
• Italian: imbroglio
• Malaysian: amok
• Scottish: skullduggery

About Root Words & Words Related to Mea Culpa

A root word is a word from which other words are built. The root of a word cannot be reduced any further—it carries the primary meaning of the word. Just as many loanwords and loan phrases are Latin or Greek, Latin and Greek roots are exceptionally common in the English language.
Since mea culpa includes the Latin root word culpa, meaning “guilt,” we can see how other words built from this Latin root share similar definitions:

• Exculpate: To clear of guilt.
• Culpable: Deserving of blame.
• Culprit: Someone guilty of a crime.

How to Use Mea Culpa in Your Writing

Not many modalities of writing come with a lot of opportunity or need to issue large apologies—or have stand-alone exclamations of fault. But if you find yourself in need of explaining that an admission of guilt happened or needs to happen, using mea culpa is appropriate—just remember to italicize this loan phrase since it appears in Latin and not English.