offense
UK[əˈfɛns]US[əˈfɛns]
n
An illegal act; a crime.
n
The action of attacking in a game or sport.
n
A feeling of being upset, annoyed, or resentful.
Morpheme Breakdown
of
fense
of
against, toward, or in the way of.
fense
to strike or ward off.
Etymology
The word 'offense' originates from the Latin verb 'offendere', meaning "to strike against, stumble, or displease." This verb is itself a compound of the prefix 'ob-' ("against") and the root '-fendere' ("to strike"). The literal sense of physically striking or dashing against something evolved metaphorically to signify a transgression against law or propriety, and further to the act of launching an attack in conflict. The modern meanings of crime, attack, and hurt feelings all stem from this core idea of an action that goes against or causes harm.
Analysis
Structure: of + fense
'of-' is a variant of the prefix 'ob-' (Latin origin), meaning "against, toward, or in the way of." '-fense' is a variant of the root 'fend' (Latin 'fendere', from 'defendere'), meaning "to strike or ward off."
Examples
The player was penalized for a serious offense.
Their team has a very strong offense this season.
She took offense at his careless remark.