Acts of breaking or violating laws, rules, or moral codes; sins or wrongdoings.
From Latin 'transgressio' meaning 'a going across or beyond,' from 'trans-' (across) + 'gradi' (to step). Originally referred to physical boundary crossing before developing moral and legal meanings in medieval Christianity.
The Latin root literally means 'stepping across,' giving us a vivid image of crossing forbidden boundaries. This same root gives us 'progress' (stepping forward) and 'regress' (stepping backward), showing how direction metaphors shape our understanding of moral behavior.
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