offensio

Forms

offēnsiō f (genitive offēnsiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin offendō (“to strike against”) + -tiō, from ob- and ⟨*fendō⟩ “to strike”, seen also in dēfendō.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Cicero, who has pedis offēnsiō “a stumbling of the foot”.^[3][4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant a striking against something, collision, and stumbling, as in Cicero and Seneca; a setback, mishap, a blow to one's fortunes; an attack of illness, an upset; damage to something immaterial, such as reputation; disfavour, offence given or taken; and in Vitruvius a violation of a rule.^[2][4][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means offence, aversion, dislike.^[6] Medieval Latin used it for sin.^[7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of stumbling and of setbacks.^[4][2][3]
• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of a transgression.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A striking against, collision; stumbling.^[2][4]
2. A setback, mishap.^[2]
3. An attack of illness.^[2]
4. Injury (to reputation); disfavour, offence.^[2][6]
5. A transgression.^[2]
6. (Medieval Latin) Sin.^[7]

Word family

• offēnsiuncula

Related words

• offendō
• offēnsa
• dēfendō
• English offence

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill