guilty
UK[ˈɡɪlti]US[ˈɡɪlti]
adj
Responsible for committing a crime or doing something wrong.
adj
Feeling or showing a sense of having done something wrong or failed in an obligation.
Morpheme Breakdown
guilt
y
guilt
y
characterized by; full of; having the quality of
Etymology
The word 'guilty' originates from Old English gyltig, which was formed by combining the noun gylt (meaning "crime, sin, fault") with the adjectival suffix -ig. The root gylt is of Germanic origin, though its precise pre-Germanic history is obscure. Over centuries, the term evolved from describing the objective state of having committed a transgression to also encompassing the subjective, psychological feeling of remorse associated with it. This dual meaning—both legal and emotional—reflects the word's journey from a concrete designation of fault to an abstract description of a human condition.
Analysis
Structure: guilt + y
guilt: Origin: Old English gylt (crime, sin, moral defect). Functional role: The core noun root denoting the fact of wrongdoing.
y: Origin: Old English -ig. Functional role: An adjective-forming suffix meaning "characterized by; full of; having the quality of".
Examples
The jury found the defendant guilty of fraud.
She felt guilty for forgetting her friend's birthday.
He had a guilty conscience after telling the lie.