Etymology: Partly < (i) Anglo-Norman and Middle French offense, offence (French offense ) injury, wrong, annoyance, misdeed (c1225 in Old French; also in phrase estre en offense de to be guilty of (something)), attack, assault (1295; rare in this sense after 17th cent.), breach of law (late 15th cent.) and its etymon (ii) classical Latin offēnsa collision, transgression, misdeed, injury, wrong, affront, resentment, in post-classical Latin also fault (Vulgate), disfavour, disgrace (a1364 in a British source), use as noun of feminine singular of offēnsus, past participle of offendere offend v.; and partly < (iii) Anglo-Norman and Middle French offens injury, misdeed (1369) and its etymon (iv) classical Latin offēnsus stumbling-block, the giving of offence < offēns-, past participial stem of offendere + -tus, suffix forming verbal nouns.In senses 1a, 1b ultimately after Hebrew miḵšōl stumbling (1 Samuel 25:31), stumbling-block (Isaiah 8:14). With stone or rock of offence (see sense 1a) compare post-classical Latin lapis offensionis (Vulgate: Romans 9:32, 33, 1 Peter 2:8, citing Isaiah 8:14, where it renders Hebrew ṣūr miḵšōl ). With the form history compare defence n. and note at that entry.

Etymology: < Middle French, French †offencer, offenser to hurt or wound a person's feelings (early 15th cent.), to hurt or wound physically (1546) < offence offence n. In later use probably independently < offence n.