People who commit crimes or harmful acts, those responsible for doing something wrong.
From Latin 'perpetrare,' from 'per-' (through) and 'patrare' (to complete or achieve). Originally it meant 'to carry through,' but evolved specifically to mean executing a crime.
The word 'perpetrate' is interesting because it literally means 'to carry through to completion'—so perpetrators aren't just people who commit crimes, they're those determined enough to actually finish them!
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