| 释义 |
‖ mea culpa|ˈmeɪa ˈkʊlpa, ˈmiːa ˈkʌlpa|
[L., lit. ‘through my own fault’.]
A phrase from the prayer of confession in the Latin liturgy of the Church; used lit. and transf. as an exclamation of repentance, and as the name of such an exclamation; also mea maxima culpa. See confiteor.
c1374Chaucer Troylus (1894) ii. 525 Now, mea culpa, lord! I me repente. 1602W. Watson Decacordon 40 Shall lay their hands a little heavier on their hearts with Mea maxima culpa. 1818Lady Morgan Florence Macarthy IV. v. 208 Mingled a broken ave-maria and mea-culpa, in utter consternation and superstitious fear. 1891E. Dowson Let. 7 Feb. (1967) 184 Today, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, I have done nothing. 1922Joyce Ulysses 279 He beat his hand upon his breast, confessing: mea culpa. 1948R. Butler Words of Mass i. 10 The striking of the breast at the mea culpa is an emphatic recognition of guilt and expression of sorrow. 1958Times 17 Oct. 17/1 Eisenstein made a public mea culpa at the time in the form of an open letter to the Committee. 1960[see guilt-complex]. 1974‘D. Shannon’ Crime File (1975) v. 79 Mea culpa... We all do stupid things sometimes. |