guilt

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ɡɪlt/ Homophones: gilt, GILT Rhymes: -ɪlt === Etymology 1 === From Middle English gilt, gult, from Old English gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”), of obscure origin, but possibly related with Old English ġieldan (“to pay, requite, punish”), whence yield. More specifically it could be connected with Proto-West Germanic *guldijā, whence Middle Low German gülde, Middle High German gülte (“debt, fee, financial duty”). However, neither the Old English stem form nor the -t (instead of -d) fit the continental form. ==== Noun ==== guilt (usually uncountable, plural guilts) Responsibility for wrongdoing. Synonyms: guiltiness; see also Thesaurus:guilt Antonyms: innocence; see also Thesaurus:innocence (law) The state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings. Antonym: innocence Regret for having done wrong. Synonyms: remorse; see also Thesaurus:remorse ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== regret === Etymology 2 === From Middle English gilten, gylten, from Old English gyltan (“to commit sin, be guilty”), from gylt (“guilt, sin, offense, crime, fault”). ==== Verb ==== guilt (third-person singular simple present guilts, present participle guilting, simple past and past participle guilted) (intransitive, obsolete) To commit offenses; act criminally. === Etymology 3 === From Etymology 1. ==== Verb ==== guilt (third-person singular simple present guilts, present participle guilting, simple past and past participle guilted) (transitive, informal) To cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour. ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 4 === ==== Adjective ==== guilt (not comparable) Obsolete form of gilt (“gilded”)