The concept of yerro in the Castilian 13th century law: between sin and crime

Using various sources, including the narrative, normative and documental ones, the author describes the process of genesis of the concept of "misdemeanor" (yerro) in the Castilian language. In the reign of Alphonse the Sage (1252 - 1284) this word was used by court lawyers for signifying any crime without making difference. On the basis of information discerned from the bilingual texts (such as the Etymologiae of Isidor of Sevilla, Fuero Juzgo, etc.) the author shows that originally the yerro was an ethic concept and only starting with the Alphonse's linguistic reform it had gradually acquired religious and juridical connotations.