CULPRIT, properly the prisoner at the bar; so one guilty of an offence. In origin the word is a combination of two Anglo French legal words, culpable, guilty, and prit or prist, i.e., prest, O.Fr. for pret, ready. On the prisoner at the bar pleading "not guilty," the clerk of the Crown answered "culpable," and stated that he was ready (prest) to join issue. The words cul. prist (or prit) were then entered on the roll. When French law terms were discontinued the words were taken as forming one word addressed to the prisoner.