transgression
/trɑːnzˈɡrɛʃn/
transgression means A violation of a law, duty or commandment. It carries an Arena rating of 1649, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, transgression ranks #647 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #704 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #925 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,763 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
transgression is pronounced /trɑːnzˈɡrɛʃn/.
Why “transgression” is a great word
The deliberate act of stepping across a defined limit or boundary, whether of law, command, or custom. From Middle English transgressioun, from Old French transgression, from Late Latin trānsgressiō, from Latin trānsgressus (past participle of trānsgredī, 'to step across') + -iō (noun-forming suffix). First attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike “sin,” a broad, often theological stain, or “error,” a stumble of misjudgment, a transgression is the willful stride over a line someone has drawn. It is the boot planted on grass marked KEEP OFF, the mouth forming words explicitly forbidden, the hand reaching past the velvet rope—each carrying the small, electric thrill of choosing to be where one ought not. Transgression requires the very threshold it breaks, a quiet admission that some borders are crossed not in darkness, but with full knowledge of the light.
Etymology
From Middle English transgressioun, from Old French transgression, from Late Latin trānsgressiō, from Latin trānsgressus (perfect active participle of trānsgredior (“to step across”)) + -iō.
noun
- A violation of a law, duty or commandment.e.g.“And Ioshua said vnto the people, Ye cannot serue the Lord: for hee is an holy God: he is a ielous God, he will not forgiue your transgressions nor your sinnes.” — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 24:19:
- An act that goes beyond generally accepted boundaries.
- A relative rise in sea level resulting in deposition of marine strata over terrestrial strata.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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