Deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil; responsible for a fault or wrongdoing.
From Latin 'culpabilis,' from 'culpa' (fault, blame). The root 'culpa' also gives us 'culprit' and appears in the legal phrase 'mea culpa' (my fault). The word has maintained its meaning of blameworthiness since entering English.
Remember 'CULP-able' sounds like 'CULP-rit'—both words are about being responsible for something wrong! If you're culpable, you're 'able to be blamed' for the problem.
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