Mea culpa is the Latin way of saying my bad. It literally means "through my (own) fault." Mea culpa can be used as an interjection (much like my fault or my bad) or as a noun referring to an apology, as in The senator offered a mea culpa during the press conference. or Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that means "through my fault" and is an acknowledgement of having done wrong. The expression is used also as an admission of having made a mistake that should have been avoided, and may be accompanied by beating the breast as in its use in a religious context.