Black's Law Dictionary (2nd edition)dictionaries

Culpa

Lat. A term of the civil law, meaning fault, neglect, or negligence. There are three degrees of culpa,-‘-lata culpa, gross fault or neglect; lcvis culpa, ordinary fault or neglect; levissima culpa, slight fault or neglect,—and the definitions of these (le-grees are precisely the same as those in our law. Story, Bailm. § 18. This term is to be distinguished from dolus, which meaus fraud, guile, or deceit

Source: Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)