What term is used for an action that harms someone legally?

The term "tort" refers specifically to a civil wrong or wrongful act that causes harm or loss to another person, resulting in legal liability for the person who committed the act. Torts can encompass a wide range of actions, from negligence and defamation to intentional infliction of emotional distress. The primary function of tort law is to provide relief for the damages incurred by an individual due to another's actions, thereby allowing the harmed party to seek compensation.

In the context of the question regarding actions that legally harm someone, "tort" is the most precise term, as it is explicitly defined in legal frameworks and deals directly with civil grievances. Other terms like transgression, breach, and violation do have legal significance, but they are more general and are not exclusively used to describe the act of causing harm to an individual in a civil context. A "transgression" typically refers to any violation of a law or command, "breach" usually pertains to the violation of a legal duty or contract, and "violation" denotes an infringement of a law or rule. While these terms might relate to legal circumstances, they do not capture the specificity that "tort" provides in the realm of civil wrongs.