mea culpa
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mea cul·pa

noun \ˌmā-ə-ˈkl-pə, ˌmā-ä-, -ˈkl-(ˌ)pä\

Definition of MEA CULPA

: a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error

Examples of MEA CULPA

  1. The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Origin of MEA CULPA

Latin, through my fault
First Known Use: 1602

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