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mens rea

"state of mind accompanying an act which condemns the perpetrator to criminal punishment," Latin, literally "guilty mind;" from mens "mind," from PIE root *men- (1) "to think."

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Definitions of mens rea from WordNet

mens rea (n.)
(law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials;
Synonyms: malice aforethought
From wordnet.princeton.edu