Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - sin

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~ne, from Old English synn; akin to Old High German sunta ~ and probably to Latin sont-, sons guilty, est is — more at is  Date: before 12th century  1.  a. an offense against religious or moral law  b. an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible it's a ~ to waste food  c. an often serious shortcoming ; fault  2.  a. transgression of the law of God  b. a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God  Synonyms: see offense  II. intransitive verb  (~ned; ~ning)  Date: before 12th century  1. to commit a ~  2. to commit an offense or fault  III. noun  Etymology: Hebrew sin  Date: circa 1823 the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet — see alphabet table  IV. abbreviation ~e