Culprit

Culprit

A culprit, under English law properly the prisoner at the bar, is one accused of a crime. The term is used, generally, of one guilty of an offence. In origin the word is a combination of two Anglo-French legal words, culpable: guilty, and prit or prest: Old French: ready. On the prisoner at the bar pleading not guilty, the clerk of the crown answered culpable, and states that he was ready (prest) to join issue. The words "cul. prist" were then entered on the roll, showing that issue had been joined. When French law terms were discontinued, the words were taken as forming one word addressed to the prisoner.

The formula "Culprit, how will you be tried?" in answer to a plea of "not guilty," is first found in the trial for murder of the 7th Earl of Pembroke in 1678.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Under modern criminal law, the preferred term is defendant.


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  • Culprit 1 — Birth name James Hannam Also known as Culprit 1, Culprit One, Culp Born 1980 Origin Newport, Wales Genres …   Wikipedia

  • culprit — index convict, delinquent, embezzler, felon, malefactor Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Culprit — Cul prit (k[u^]l pr?t), n. [Prob. corrupted for culpate, fr. Law Latin culpatus the accused, p. p. of L. culpare to blame. See {Culpable}.] 1. One accused of, or arraigned for, a crime, as before a judge. [1913 Webster] An author is in the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • culprit — ► NOUN ▪ a person who is responsible for a crime or offence. ORIGIN originally in the judicial formula Culprit, how will you be tried?, perhaps from a misinterpretation of the written abbreviation cul. prist for Old French Culpable: prest d… …   English terms dictionary

  • culprit — (n.) 1670s, from Anglo Fr. cul prit, contraction of Culpable: prest (d averrer nostre bille) guilty, ready (to prove our case), words used by prosecutor in opening a trial. It seems the abbreviation cul. prit was mistaken in English for an… …   Etymology dictionary

  • culprit — *criminal, felon, convict, malefactor, delinquent Analogous words: *prisoner: offender, sinner (see corresponding nouns at OFFENSE): scoundrel, blackguard, miscreant, rogue, rascal (see VILLAIN) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • culprit — [n] person responsible for wrongdoing con, convict, criminal, delinquent, evildoer, ex con, felon, fugitive, guilty party, jailbird*, malefactor, miscreant, offender, rascal, sinner, transgressor, wrongdoer, yardbird*; concept 412 …   New thesaurus

  • culprit — [kul′prit] n. [< Anglo Fr cul. prit, contr. for phr. culpable, prit (a averer nostre bille), lit., guilty, ready (to prove our case): words used by prosecutor in opening case < culpable (see CULPABLE) + prit, for OFr prest < LL praestus …   English World dictionary

  • culprit — [[t]kʌ̱lprɪt[/t]] culprits 1) N COUNT: usu the N When you are talking about a crime or something wrong that has been done, you can refer to the person who did it as the culprit. All the men were being deported even though the real culprits in the …   English dictionary

  • culprit — noun (C) 1 the person who is guilty of a crime, or responsible for damage, a problem etc: Police finally managed to catch the culprit. 2 informal the reason for a particular problem or difficulty: the main culprit: High production costs are the… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • culprit — UK [ˈkʌlprɪt] / US noun [countable] Word forms culprit : singular culprit plural culprits 1) someone who is responsible for doing something bad or illegal Police have so far failed to find the culprits. 2) the cause of something bad happening The …   English dictionary

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