noun
culpa
KUUL-puh
noun
1
Legal term for fault or negligence, as opposed to intentional wrongdoing.
"The court examined whether the accident resulted from culpa rather than deliberate harm."
How to Use Culpa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA legal Latin term for fault through carelessness, rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
When to use it
Mostly used in legal writing, not everyday conversation.
Word Forms
culpae plural
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The court examined whether the accident resulted from _____ rather than deliberate harm.
Etymology
A learned borrowing directly from Latin culpa ("fault, blame").