Guilt
Etymology
From Old English "gylt," "crime, sin, fault, debt." Its deeper origin is genuinely unknown — etymologists have never securely connected it to any older root, which is unusual for so common a word. The old link to "debt" survives in the idea that guilt is something you can pay off.
noun · /GILT/
The painful sense that you have done something wrong.
What it names
Reach for it when the focus is a specific act you regret — behavior you could name and, in principle, make amends for.
Example
He felt a stab of guilt for snapping at her and immediately apologized.
Related idea
The crucial split from shame: guilt says “I did a bad thing” (about an act, and repairable); shame says “I am a bad thing” (about the self, and totalizing). Guilt tends to drive repair; shame tends to drive hiding.
See also