guilt
UK[ɡɪlt]US[ɡɪlt]
n
The fact of having committed a legal or moral offense.
n
A feeling of having done something wrong or failed in an obligation.
Etymology
The word 'guilt' originates from the Old English 'gylt', a term of Germanic lineage whose precise earlier roots are obscure but likely related to notions of debt and delinquency. It is cognate with Old Frisian 'geld' (money, payment) and possibly connected to the Old English 'gieldan' (to pay, yield), suggesting an ancient conceptual link between wrongdoing and the obligation to pay a penalty or compensation. Over time, the meaning shifted from the objective fact of an offense or debt to also encompass the subjective, psychological state of self-reproach. This evolution captures the dual modern sense of both the legal/moral fact and the painful internal feeling it produces.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. The modern English form 'guilt' descends directly from the Old English noun 'gylt', meaning 'crime, sin, moral defect, failure of duty'.
Examples
The evidence proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
She was consumed by guilt after forgetting her friend's birthday.
He felt a pang of guilt for not telling the whole truth.