Guilt

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Guilt \Guilt\ (g[i^]lt), n. [OE. gilt, gult, AS. gylt, crime;
     probably originally signifying, the fine or mulct paid for an
     offence, and afterward the offense itself, and akin to AS.
     gieldan to pay, E. yield. See {Yield}, v. t.]
     1. The criminality and consequent exposure to punishment
        resulting from willful disobedience of law, or from


        morally wrong action; the state of one who has broken a
        moral or political law; crime; criminality; offense
        against right.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Satan had not answer, but stood struck
              With guilt of his own sin.            --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Exposure to any legal penalty or forfeiture.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A ship incurs guilt by the violation of a blockade.
                                                    --Kent.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A feeling of regret or remorse for having committed some
        improper act; a recognition of one's own responsibility
        for doing something wrong. "Depression is often rooted in
        guilt which has not been dealt with in an appropriate
        way." "Guilt is a natural and appropriate consequence to a
        wrong action."
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  guilt
       n 1: the state of having committed an offense [syn: {guiltiness}]
            [ant: {innocence}]
       2: remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offence [syn:
           {guilty conscience}, {guilt feelings}, {guilt trip}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  24 Moby Thesaurus words for "guilt":
     blame, blameworthiness, contriteness, contrition, crime,
     criminality, culpability, fault, feloniousness, guiltiness,
     misconduct, offense, onus, regret, remorse, repentance,
     responsibility, self-condemnation, self-reproach, shame, sin,
     sinfulness, sorrow, wrongdoing
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  GUILT, crim. law. That quality which renders criminal and liable to 
  punishment; or it is that disposition to violate the law, which has 
  manifested itself by some act already done. The opposite of innocence. Vide 
  Rutherf. Inst. B. 1, c. 18, s. 10. 
       2. In general everyone is presumed innocent until guilt has been 
  proved; but in some cases the presumption of guilt overthrows that of 
  innocence; as, for example, where a party destroys evidence to which the 
  opposite party is entitled. The spoliation of papers, material to show the 
  neutral character of a vessel, furnishes strong presumption against the 
  neutrality of the ship. 2 Wheat. 227. Vide Spoliation.