Slang for perpetrator; a person believed to have committed a crime.
Shortened form of 'perpetrator' (from Latin 'perpetrāre,' to carry out). This abbreviation became standard in police and legal jargon in the mid-20th century.
Police and TV shows made 'perp' such a cool shorthand that it entered everyday language—it shows how informal language can become 'official' through repeated use in institutions like law enforcement.
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