Offeso

Offeso is an Italian adjective and the past participle of the verb offendere. It describes someone who feels insulted or affronted, or the feeling itself of being offended. It can also function as a noun, l'offeso, meaning the offended party.

Morphology and usage details: masculine singular is offeso, feminine singular offesa; masculine plural offesi, feminine plural offese. The term is closely related to, yet distinct from offensivo, which means offensive or causing offense. Offeso emphasizes the emotional state of the person, while offensivo describes something that tends to offend or annoy others.

Etymology: offeso derives from the verb offendere, which comes from Latin offendere, meaning to strike against or to offend. The sense migrated into Italian to describe a psychological or emotional injury rather than a physical one.

Usage notes: offeso is commonly used to express personal sensitivity to remarks or actions. For example, one can say, "Mi sono sentito offeso dalla sua osservazione," meaning “I felt offended by his remark.” The noun form, l'offeso, is used when referring to the person who is offended, as in "L'offeso ha chiesto scuse." In everyday language, offeso can describe a state resulting from perceived disrespect, while offesa (the related noun) refers to the insult or offense itself.

See also: offendere, offensivo, offesa.