Past tense of atone; made amends for something wrong; made up for a sin or wrongdoing.
From atone (Old English at + one, to make one or reconcile) + past tense -ed. Used since the 1500s to describe the act of seeking or achieving forgiveness.
In the Bible, the Day of Atonement was the one day a year when all sins were forgiven—the idea that you could actually start completely fresh was revolutionary to ancient peoples.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.