Advertisement

Origin and history of transgression

transgression(n.)

late 14c., transgressioun, "disobedience to God's law, sin," from Old French transgression "transgression," particularly that relating to Adam and the Fall (12c.) and directly from Late Latin transgressionem (nominative transgressio) "a transgression of the law," in classical Latin, "a going over, a going across," noun of action from transgressus, past participle of transgredi "step across, step over; climb over, pass, go beyond," from trans "across, beyond" (see trans-) + gradi (past participle gressus) "to walk, go" (from PIE root *ghredh- "to walk, go").

By early 15c. as "disobedience" to a human law or rule. The geological sense of "a spreading of the sea over land" is from 1882. Related: Transgressional.

Entries linking to transgression

early 15c., transgressour, "sinner, evil-doer, breaker of God's law," from Anglo-French transgressour, Old French transgressor (14c.), and directly from Latin transgressor, agent noun from transgredi (see transgression).

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to walk, go." 

It might form all or part of: aggress; aggression; aggressive; centigrade; congress; degrade; degree; degression; digress; digression; egress; gradation; grade; gradual; graduate; grallatorial; gravigrade; ingredient; ingress; plantigrade; progress; progression; regress; regression; retrograde; retrogress; tardigrade; transgress; transgression.

It might also be the source of: Latin gradus "a step, a pace, gait," figuratively "a step toward something, a degree of something rising by stages;" gradi "to walk, step, go;" Lithuanian gridiju, gridyti "to go, wander;" Old Church Slavonic gredo "to come;" Old Irish in-greinn "he pursues."

word-forming element meaning "across, beyond, through, on the other side of; go beyond," from Latin trans (prep.) "across, over, beyond," perhaps originally present participle of a verb *trare-, meaning "to cross," from PIE *tra-, variant of root *tere- (2) "cross over, pass through, overcome" [Watkins].

Besides its use in numerous English words taken from Latin words with this prefix, it is used to some extent as an English formative .... It is commonly used in its literal sense, but also as implying complete change, as in transfigure, transform, etc. [Century Dictionary]

In chemical use indicating "a compound in which two characteristic groups are situated on opposite sides of an axis of a molecule" [Flood].

Many trans- words in Middle English via Old French arrived originally as tres-, due to sound changes in French, but most English spellings were restored later; trespass and trestle being exceptions.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    Share transgression

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Advertisement