释义 |
guilt I. \ˈgilt\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English gilt, gult, from Old English gylt 1. obsolete a. : delinquency or failure in respect to one's duty : offense, trespass b. : responsibility for an offense : fault c. : state of deserving punishment : deserts 2. : the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty; broadly : guilty conduct < a life of guilt and shame > 3. a. : the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously : culpability < his guilt was written in his face > b. : feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : morbid self-reproach often manifest in marked preoccupation with the moral correctness of one's behavior : self-accusation < aggressive responses originating in inner guilt and uncertainty > 4. : the state of being liable to penalty for offense against law — used in respect to persons and sometimes property that by reason of illegal usage has become liable to forfeiture or other burden II. archaic variant of gilt |