The word atone came to English as a contraction of the words at and one. The verb means to make amends or reparations for an offense or wrong doing. You can remember the meaning by thinking of it as a sort of Zen concept, to be "at one" or in harmony with someone, you have to atone for your mistakes and be forgiven. In a religious sense, it means to repent for sins ("to atone for his sins").
atone本来是at one的缩写，是“归一，与……保持一致”的意思。在基督教中，牧师布道时经常要求教徒“to be at one with God”，意思是“与上帝保持和谐一致”。
按照基督教的教义，上帝与人类在生命和利益上原本是完美和谐的。但是，由于人类始祖亚当与夏娃违反上帝的禁令，偷吃禁果，犯下“原罪”，因此，上帝与人类产生了隔阂和疏远。因此，基督教徒要想与上帝重归于好，就必须进行赎罪，以扫清和解的阻碍。由此，单词atone一词逐渐演变为“赎罪、弥补”之意。