guilt
/ɡɪlt/
noun
Origin
Old English
gylt — sin, offense, or fault
Overview
Meaning Now
- The fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime.
- A feeling of responsibility or remorse for having done something wrong.
Literal older meaning
State of being responsible for an offense.
Language path
Old English → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
gylt
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
Originally, the term carried a heavy moral and religious weight, closely tied to the concept of 'sin' in Christianized Anglo-Saxon society. Over time, it transitioned from a purely moral/theological concept to a legalistic one and finally included the internal psychological state of the individual.
Evolution
- Old English
gylt
“sin, offense, or crime”
Often used in a religious or moral context.
- Middle English
guilt
“guilt, fault, or trespass”
Spelling stabilized towards the modern form.
- Modern English
guilt
“legal responsibility or emotional remorse”
Semantic split between legal culpability and psychological feeling.
Connections
Word parts
guilt
root
offense or sin
Related across languages
Old High German
gilt
debt, payment, or penalty
Old Norse
gilt
guilt or sin
Explore next
Related to guilt
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.