culprit

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>culprit</strong> &#149; \KUL-prit\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Culprit</em> refers to a person who has committed a crime or done something wrong. <em>Culprit</em> can also refer to the source or cause of a problem.</p> <p>// The break-in was witnessed by several neighbors, and the <em>culprit</em> was quickly apprehended.</p> <p>// Our bread-baking effort was disappointing; the bread failed to rise, and apparently old yeast was the <em>culprit</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culprit">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“A severe housing shortage is the main <em>culprit</em> for steep housing costs. The US is short of anywhere between an estimated 1.5 million and 5.5 million homes. High interest rates are scaring off both would-be buyers and sellers and slowing rates of homebuilding.” — Eliza Relman, <em>Business Insider</em>, 1 Oct. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>We would be culpable—that is, deserving of blame—if we didn’t clearly explain the origin of <em>culprit</em>. Yes, it is related to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culpable"><em>culpable</em></a>, which itself comes (via Middle English and Anglo-French) from the Latin verb <em>culpare</em>, meaning “to blame.” But the etymology of <em>culprit</em> is not so straightforward. In Anglo-French, <em>culpable</em> meant “guilty,” and this was abbreviated “cul.” in legal briefs and texts. <em>Culprit</em> was formed by combining this abbreviation with the Anglo-French word <em>prest</em> or <em>prit</em>, meaning “ready”; literally, a culprit was one who was ready to be proven guilty. The word was eventually adopted into English and used to refer to someone who is accused of a wrongdoing. The word has since t