mea culpa

From the Latin phrase meā culpā (“through my fault”), from mea (“my, mine”) and culpa (“fault”) in the ablative

• IPA^(key): /ˌmeɪ.əˈkʊl.pə/, /ˌmeɪ.əˈkʌl.pə/, /ˌmiː.əˈkʊl.pə/, /ˌmiː.əˈkʌl.pə/

mea culpa

1. My fault, due to my error; I am to blame.

mea culpa (plural mea culpas or mea culpae)

1. An instance of mea culpa; an apology.
   • 2018 January 13, Tad Bartimus, “When There’s Nuke Headed Your Way, ‘Do What You Gotta Do’”, in Civil Beat:

     Basketball had been replaced by breathless commentators cross-talking and speculating, politicians on split screens eagerly interrupting each other to find scapegoats, and most mute (male) state officials, including Hawaii Gov. David Ige, opening their mouths to sputter (paraphrasing here) — golly gee, we don’t know what happened, but we plan to find out — mea culpas.

• my bad
• peccavi
• stand corrected

From the Latin phrase meā culpā (“through my fault”), from mea (“my, mine”) and culpa (“fault”) in the ablative

• IPA^(key): /me.a kul.pa/

mea culpa

1. mea culpa

meā culpā

1. through my fault
   • Text of the Tridentine Mass:

     Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistæ, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et vobis, fratres: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

     I confess to the Almighty God, to the blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly, in thought, word, and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.