Offences

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Transgressions against established laws or ethical norms result in consequential penalties
2. Violations of statutory or moral codes can lead to punitive measures
3. Acts that violate legal or moral standards and may incur punishment

Etymology: "Offences" is the plural of "offence," so it carries the same history as the singular form. The singular entered English from Old French "offense," which came from Latin "offensa," a noun built from the verb "offendere," meaning to strike against or to hit upon. The literal sense of striking against something gradually gave way to the sense of stumbling into wrongdoing, and from there to the idea of an act that breaks a law or moral code.

Synonyms: crimes, transgressions

Antonyms: defenses, justifications