Atonement is making up for something wrong you did. Seek atonement, an act of atonement, atonement for it.
It requires action rather than apology — the point is doing something to set the balance right. The Day of Atonement is the holiest day in the Jewish year. The word's origin is unusually clear and unusually pleasing: it is at-one-ment, being made at one again, which is exactly what it means.
1nounatonementMaking up for something wrong you did.
“He gave most of his fortune to charity in atonement for his past crimes.”
atonement is a making amends.
At plus onement — being made at one again. The verb atone was formed later from the noun.
Middle English
atone
English
atone
English, today
atonement
Built from
Perhaps from atone + ment as translation of Medieval Latin adūnāmentum; however, the noun is found earlier than the verb (atone); and in this light, the proper etymology is at + onement. atone comes from atone (“reconciled”), from Middle English atone, attone, atoon (“agreed”) literally “at one”, equivalent to at + one. Compare Latin adūnō (“to unite, make one”) for the similar formation. Regarding the different phonological development of atone and one, see the note in one.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA