offence

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: of=fence

CIDE DICTIONARY

offence, n. 

 See Offense.  [1913 Webster]

offence, n. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.].

•  The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury.  [1913 Webster]

  "Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification."  [1913 Webster]

  "I have given my opinion against the authority of two great men, but I hope without offense to their memories."  [1913 Webster]
•  The state of being offended or displeased; anger; displeasure; as, to cause offense.  [1913 Webster]

  "He was content to give them just cause of offense, when they had power to make just revenge."  [1913 Webster]
•  A cause or occasion of stumbling or of sin.  [1913 Webster]

  "Woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!"  [1913 Webster]
•  In any contest, the act or process of attacking as contrasted with the act of defending; the offensive; as, to go on the offense.  [PJC]
•  The members of a team who have the primary responsibility to score goals, in contrast to those who have the responsibility to defend, i.e. to prevent the opposing team from scoring goal.  [PJC]

  " This word, like expense, is often spelled with a c. It ought, however, to undergo the same change with expense, the reasons being the same, namely, that s must be used in offensive as in expensive, and is found in the Latin offensio, and the French offense."  [1913 Webster]

To take offense, to feel, or assume to be, injured or affronted; to become angry or hostile. -- Weapons of offense, those which are used in attack, in distinction from those of defense, which are used to repel.

Syn. -- Displeasure; umbrage; resentment; misdeed; misdemeanor; trespass; transgression; delinquency; fault; sin; crime; affront; indignity; outrage; insult.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

offence, n. (US offense)
1 an illegal act; a transgression or misdemeanour.
2 a wounding of the feelings; resentment or umbrage (no offence was meant).
3 the act of attacking or taking the offensive; aggressive action.

Idiom

give offence cause hurt feelings. take offence suffer hurt feelings.

Derivative

offenceless adj.

Etymology

orig. = stumbling, stumbling-block: ME & OF offens f. L offensus annoyance, and ME & F offense f. L offensa a striking against, hurt, displeasure, both f. offendere (as OB-, fendere fens- strike)

THESAURUS

offence

breach, crime, dereliction, error, fault, felony, harm, hurt, infraction, infringement, injure, insult, lapse, malefaction, misdeed, misdemeanor, offend, outrage, peccadillo, sin, slight, slip, take umbrage, transgression, trespass, violation, wrong, wrongdoing