Feeling or expressing sincere remorse and regret for wrongdoing; genuinely sorry and repentant. Implies not just regret but a deep sense of guilt and desire to make amends.
From Latin 'contritus,' past participle of 'conterere' meaning 'to grind together' or 'to bruise,' from 'con-' (together) plus 'terere' (to rub). The metaphor suggests being emotionally 'ground down' or 'bruised' by guilt.
Think of being so sorry that you feel 'ground down' by guilt—that's the literal meaning! A contrite person feels emotionally 'crushed' by their wrongdoing, like grain ground between millstones.
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