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The "culpa" in mea culpa might remind you of words like culprit and culpable. Those are great connections to make! Because culpa is Latin for "crime, fault, blame, guilt, or error."
A mea culpa is an apology: an admission that I've done something wrong, that something is my fault, that I'm to blame, that I feel guilty, that I'm sorry.
You might agree that, in public life, genuine mea culpas are rare. I've said that before, in a previous issue: "Look, it's not even a q____ apology if you tweet out, 'I'm sorry if you were offended by my actions.'" Could you recall that word from the blank? It means "semi, sort of, kind of, not really."
make your point with...
"MEA CULPA"
From a Roman Catholic confessional prayer, "mea culpa" is Latin for "through my own fault," and it means "I'm sorry" or "I'm to blame." It also means the utterance of an apology. In other words, "mea culpa" is both the expression of an apology and the apology itself.
Pronunciation:
Many ways are acceptable.
I prefer "MAY uh CULL puh."
Part of speech:
Both a noun (a mea culpa, the mea culpa, three mea culpas)
and an interjection ("Mea culpa!" "Oh, mea culpa, ma'am!").
Other forms:
Just the plural: mea culpas.
How to use it:
With its scholarly, religious look and sound, "mea culpa" is more formal than "apology" or "I apologize." When you say "mea culpa," you can be sincere, dramatic, or sarcastic.
Talk about a mea culpa, the mea culpa, this mea culpa, that mea culpa, or someone's mea culpa.
You can make a mea culpa, offer a mea culpa, deliver a mea culpa, issue a mea culpa, add on or tack on a mea culpa to your comments or statements, talk on and on with excuses and mea culpas, etc.
Because "mea culpa" is not just a noun but also an interjection, you can simply say it or shout it like you would other interjections (such as "ouch" and "hey"): "What have I done? Mea culpa!" "Oh, mea culpa, I've spilled this on your floor."
To be extra-dramatic or extra-sarcastic, use multiple mea culpas at once ("Oh! Mea culpa, mea culpa, let me fix this!") or throw in a "mea maxima culpa," meaning "through my most grievous fault."
examples:
In the pantry, mea culpa, you will no longer find any of the caramel coconut Girl Scout cookies.
Don't expect so much as a mea culpa from him--he probably doesn't realize he disparaged your entire religion and if he did, he wouldn't care.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "mea culpa" means when you can explain it without saying "I apologize" or "saying sorry."
try it out:
Fill in the blank: "I've (done something clumsy, dumb, or bad). Mea culpa!"
Example: "I've raced to a judgment before I had all the facts. Mea culpa!"
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing with lines of poetry that include words we've checked out together in previous issues. I’ll give you a few lines from the poem, with a blank where our word appears, along with its definition. See if you can come up with it. Each answer will appear in the next day's issue. Enjoy!
From yesterday:
From Steve Kistulentz's poem "Death Is a Hysterical Dynasty:"
"This morning I found a ________,
a palmetto bug in my shower, dead in his search for water."
Definition: a hard, protective outer covering, or something that reminds you of one.
Answer: carapace.
Try this today:
From Peter Campion's poem "Over Greenland:"
"Rivers of faces
down hallways, merging, as desires mesh
and _______."
Definition: to form a long, narrow crack; or, to form a split (a division) between people or ideas.
review today's word:
1. The closest opposite of "Mea culpa!" is
A. "I had nothing to do with this!"
B. "I knew this would happen!"
C. "I can't believe this!"
2. After _____, she offered a heartfelt mea culpa.
A. laying the warm bread and casserole onto the table, along with a pitcher of tea
B. unconsciously plagiarizing details from a novel she'd read as a child
C. interviewing the impressively qualified candidate
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. B
The "culpa" in mea culpa might remind you of words like culprit and culpable. Those are great connections to make! Because culpa is Latin for "crime, fault, blame, guilt, or error."
"MEA CULPA" From a Roman Catholic confessional prayer, "mea culpa" is Latin for "through my own fault," and it means "I'm sorry" or "I'm to blame." It also means the utterance of an apology. In other words, "mea culpa" is both the expression of an apology and the apology itself. Part of speech:
In the pantry, mea culpa, you will no longer find any of the caramel coconut Girl Scout cookies.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "mea culpa" means when you can explain it without saying "I apologize" or "saying sorry."
Fill in the blank: "I've (done something clumsy, dumb, or bad). Mea culpa!"
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The closest opposite of "Mea culpa!" is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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