offended

The word 'offended' originates from the Latin verb 'offendere', meaning "to strike against, displease, or stumble upon". This verb itself is a compound of 'ob-' ("against") and 'fendere' ("to strike"). The literal sense of physically striking or dashing against something evolved metaphorically in Late Latin and Old French to mean "to sin, transgress," and later "to cause displeasure or anger." Entering English via Anglo-Norman French in the 14th century, the verb 'offend' and its participle 'offended' came to describe the act of violating a law or moral code, and subsequently the feeling of being emotionally or psychologically "struck" by an insult or affront, perfectly capturing the sting of hurt feelings.

Structure: of + fend + ed - of (prefix): From Latin 'ob-', meaning "against, toward, in the way of". In this context, it intensifies the action of the root. - fend (root): From Latin 'fendere', a variant of 'defendere' meaning "to strike, hit". The core sense is of striking or hitting against. - ed (suffix): From Old English '-ed', '-od', '-ad', forming the past tense and past participle of weak verbs, or adjectives from verbs.