acts that break a law or rule, or feelings of hurt or anger caused by something insulting.
From Old French 'offense,' derived from Latin 'offensus' meaning 'struck against.' The legal and emotional senses both developed from this root of causing harm or damage.
A fascinating contradiction: what counts as a criminal 'offense' varies wildly by country and time period—homosexuality was once a serious felony and is now legal in many places, showing that 'offense' is far more cultural than absolute.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.