خطيئة

Belongs to the root خ ط ء (ḵ ṭ ʔ), from which the verb form I خَطِئَ (ḵaṭiʔa, “to err”). Schwally proposed that this concrete noun – and Ge'ez ኀጢአት (ḫäṭiʾät, “sin”) – is borrowed from Classical Syriac ܚܛܝܬܐ (ḥəṭīṯɑ, ḥəṭʾīṯɑ, “sin”). This seems likely as there must be in Geʿez a borrowing because the root there means “to lack, to be in want”.