culprit Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
    perpetrator.

WordNet

Cul"prit noun
Etymology
Prob. corrupted for culpate, fr. Law Latin culpatus the accused, p. p. of L. culpare to blame. See Culpable.
Definitions
  1. One accused of, or araigned for, a crime, as before a judge.
    An author is in the condition of a culprit; the public are his judges. Prior.
  2. One quilty of a fault; a criminal.

Webster 1913