what is the definition of mea culpa according to the Thesaurus?”
Mea culpa Meaning I’m to blame. The literal translation from the Latin is ‘through my own fault’. Even those who don’t speak Latin could probably make a guess that this phrase means ‘I am culpable’, or words to that effect. Origin The phrase originates in the Confiteor which is a part of the Catholic Mass where sinners acknowledge their failings before God. Confiteor translates as ‘I confess’. It has a long history of use in English and was used by Chaucer in his Troylus as early as 1374: “Now, mea culpa, lord! I me repente.” To emphasize the point the phrase is sometimes strengthened to ‘mea maxima culpa’ – literally ‘my most grievous fault’. This also has longstanding use, as here in Watson’s Decacordon, 1604: “Shall lay their hands a little heavier on their hearts with Mea maxima culpa.” The Confiteor uses both ‘mea culpa’ and ‘mea maxima culpa’. In Latin: Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michæli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistæ, sanctis Apostolis Petro
