retaliate

(rĭ-tăl'ē-āt')

v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.

v.intr.
To return like for like, especially evil for evil.

v.tr.
To pay back (an injury) in kind.

[Late Latin retāliāre, retāliāt- : Latin re-, re- + Latin tāliō, punishment in kind.]

retaliation re·tal'i·a'tion n.
retaliative re·tal'i·a'tive or re·tal'i·a·to'ry (-ə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj.
retaliator re·tal'i·a'tor n.

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verb

To return like for like, especially to return an unfriendly or hostile action with a similar one: counter, hit back, reciprocate, retort, strike back. See attack/defend, forgiveness/vindictiveness.

v

Definition: get even with someone
Antonyms: forgive, pardon, sympathize

v. make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack: Iran retaliated with air attacks on Baghdad.

retaliation n. retaliative adj. retaliator n. retaliatory adj.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

The Bible ordains (Lev. 24:20), "Break for break, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he has caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him" (similarly, Ex. 21:5; Deut. 19:21). This law of retaliation (Lex Talionis) has given rise to much interpretation and nowhere is it stated that it was applied literally. On the face of it, the law seems to imply that whenever a person causes physical injury to another, that same injury is to be inflicted on him (as is the case in ancient non-Israelite legal codes). The Oral Law, however, maintained that this verse cannot be taken literally, for there is no way, for example, to ensure that the complications caused by the loss of one person's eye will be equivalent to the complications resulting from the destruction of another person's eye. The Oral Law, therefore, interprets the law to refer to financial compensation: the value of an eye for an eye. The person causing the injury is required to make redress for the pain, the actual damage incurred, medical costs, lost income, and any embarrassment that may have been caused. Each factor has its own formula, the actual damage causedbeing evaluated, for example, in terms of how much a slave of comparable age would be worth without the injury as compared to how much his value would be with the injury. Similarly, the payment for embarrassment takes into account the social standing of both parties and the circumstances in which the injury was caused.

The only place where Lex Talionis can apply is in the case of murder, where the death penalty could be imposed. This is the one case where the retaliation---the taking of life---can be in kind. However, one may also note that, unlike other Near East codes of the time, the Torah specifically notes that, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deut. 24:16). One may compare this verse with the Code of Hammurabi, which states that if a building collapses and kills the owner's child, the builder's child is to be put to death in retaliation.

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A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

The natural rock upon which is reared the Temple of Law.

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IN BRIEF: To repay evil with a similar evil.

A good end cannot sanctify evil means; nor must we ever do evil, that good may come of it. We are too ready to retaliate, rather than forgive or gain by love and information. — William Penn (1644-1718)

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sign description: One X-hand comes down and strikes the other.

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For a list of words related to retaliate, see:

• Strategy and Tactics - retaliate: (vb) exact revenge upon an adversary
• Violent Actions - retaliate: injure someone in return for injury inflicted

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See words rhyming with "retaliate."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Retaliate.

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - gøre gengæld
v. tr. - gengælde

Nederlands (Dutch)
represailles nemen

Français (French)
v. intr. - réagir (tous contextes), exercer des représailles
v. tr. - agir en représailles, exercer des représailles

Deutsch (German)
v. - Vergeltung üben, zurückschlagen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αντεκδικούμαι, εκδικούμαι, προβαίνω σε αντίποινα, ανταποδίδω τα ίσα

Italiano (Italian)
far rappresaglie, render pan per focaccia

Português (Portuguese)
v. - retaliar

Русский (Russian)
отомстить

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - tomar represalias, vengarse, desquitarse
v. tr. - devolver (un daño o injuria)

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vedergälla, använda repressalier

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
报复, 征收报复性关税, 以牙还牙, 对进行报复

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 報復, 徵收報復性關稅, 以牙還牙
v. tr. - 對進行報復

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 보복하다, 보복 과세하다
v. tr. - 보복하다, 앙갚음하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 仕返しをする, 応酬する, 仕返しに加える, 報復する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يقابل الأذى بمثله, يثأر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮גמל, נקם‬
v. tr. - ‮גמל, נקם, האשים את המאשים‬

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