mea culpa
/ˌmeɪ.əˈkʊl.pə/ interjection, noun, verb
Forms mea culpas mea culpae meis culpis mea culpa's mea culpa'ing mea culpa'ed
- interjection My fault, due to my error; I am to blame.
- noun An instance of mea culpa; an apology.
- verb (ambitransitive) To apologize for something, especially excessively.
Synonyms
Etymology
From the Latin phrase meā culpā (“through my fault”), ablative case of mea culpa (“my fault, guilt”), taken from the Confiteor, a traditional penitential prayer in Western Christianity.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “mea culpa”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details