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June 09, 2005

peccavi (pe-KAH-vee) noun

An admission of guilt or sin.
[From Latin peccavi (I have sinned), from peccare (to err).]

The story goes that in 1843, after annexing the Indian province of Sind, British General Sir Charles Napier sent home a one word telegram, "Peccavi" implying "I have Sind." Although apocryphal, it's still a great story.


"Rabbi Yosef's peccavi had a certain dignity, unlike the cringing surrender of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz."
N.D. Gross; Two Sinners; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Aug 18, 1989.

This week's theme: words from the 2005 Spelling Bee.

PronunciationRealAudio

Permalink:
http://wordsmith.org/words/peccavi.html

Posted by Keya at June 9, 2005 09:54 PM
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