← Back to homeIdentity & Belief
Identity & Belief
(n.)
The uneasy acknowledgement that a habit you currently consider perfectly normal will be regarded as barbaric in the future.
She offered a small prae culpa every time she dropped another plastic wrapping in the trash.
Does it ring true?
From the future, or already here?
Latin prae (before) + culpa (fault), as in mea culpa: this is the apology, filed in advance, for something you feel will be seen as a future wrong. Pronounced PRAY-uh-KUL-puh, echoing mea culpa.
Future Words: A Non-Obvious Glossary of Terms That Don’t Exist (But Soon Will) collects all 100, each with its example sentence and coinage notes, from the bestselling authors of The Future Normal. Hardcover, October 20, 2026.