culpable
UK[ˈkʌlpəbl]US[ˈkʌlpəbl]
adj
deserving blame or censure for being wrong, evil, or injurious.
Morpheme Breakdown
culp
able
culp
blame
able
capable of
Etymology
the word 'culpable' originates from the latin term 'culpabilis', which itself is derived from 'culpa', meaning 'fault' or 'blame'. the suffix '-abilis' was added to form an adjective meaning 'deserving of blame'. this latin root is also the source of related english words like 'culprit' and 'exculpate'. the semantic journey is direct, moving from the concrete notion of bearing a fault in roman law to the modern abstract sense of being morally or legally responsible for a wrongdoing.
Analysis
Structure: culp (blame) + able (capable of)
culp (from latin 'culpa', meaning 'fault, blame, guilt'); able (from latin suffix '-abilis', indicating capacity or worthiness).
Examples
the judge found the company culpable for the environmental damage.
he was held culpable for the failure of the project due to his negligence.
there was clear evidence that made her culpable in the fraud scheme.