Sin is a term used mainly in a
religious context to describe an act that violates a
moral rule, or the state of having committed such a violation. Commonly, the moral
code of conduct is decreed by a divine entity (such as the god in the
Abrahamic religions).
The generic
Hebrew word for any kind of sin is
avera (literally: transgression). Based on verses in the
Hebrew Bible, Judaism describes three levels of sin.
The word
sin derives from
Old English synn, recorded in use as early as the
9th century.
[1] The same root appears in several other Germanic languages, e.g.
Old Norse synd, or
German Sünde. There is presumably a Germanic root *sun(d)jō (literally "
it is true").
[2] The word may derive, ultimately, from
*es-, one of the
Proto-Indo-European roots that meant "
to be," and is a present participle, "
being."
Latin, also has an old present participle of
esse in the word
sons, sont-, which came to mean "
guilty"
in Latin.
The
Greek word
hamartia (ἁμαρτία) is usually translated as
sin in the
New Testament. In
Classical Greek, it means "
to miss the mark" or "
to miss the target" which was also used in Old English
archery.
[3] In
Koine Greek, which was spoken in the time of the New Testament, however, this translation is not adequate.
[4] 
