This word identifies who or what bears responsibility, often with an edge of blame. In legal contexts, it marks the accused or the culprit—those guilty of murder or those who have sinned against another. But it also functions more neutrally as a causal term: what is responsible for making something happen. The same word can describe the cause of dry air (natural causation) or the cause of someone's death (moral culpability). Context determines whether the responsibility is neutral (simply being the reason for something) or loaded (being guilty and blameworthy). The word moves fluidly between explaining causes and assigning guilt.