Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "guilty" come from? It comes from Old English gyltig, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "guilty" come from? It comes from Old English gyltig, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
Guilty’s story begins in Old English: gyltig meant “culpable.” From 'gylt', a crime, sin or debt, of unknown origin. It reached English by 1500s as guilty. 'guilt' as a feeling of remorse is recorded only from the 1600s. Today, guilty means responsible for a wrongdoing.
- Stage 1 · Old English · 700s-1000s gyltig "culpable", from 'gylt', a crime, sin or debt, of unknown origin.
- Stage 2 · English · 1500s guilty "culpable", 'guilt' as a feeling of remorse is recorded only from the 1600s.