Counterstruck

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Having been stamped a second time or impressed again to verify authenticity or correct an original mark ; acted against or responded in kind to a previous strike or action ; exhibiting a conflict of forces where one force is opposed or matched by another applied in return
2. Marked over with a fresh impression to confirm identity or value ; retaliating or making a counteraction following an initial attack or influence ; showing opposition whereby one effect is neutralized or balanced by a corresponding opposing effect
3. Subjected to a subsequent stamping to affirm or alter the first imprint ; responding with an equivalent or opposing measure after an initial move or blow ; representing a situation in which one impact is met and counterbalanced by another of similar nature

Etymology: "Counterstruck" is the past tense and past participle of "counterstrike," which is built from the prefix "counter-" (meaning against or in opposition, from Latin "contra" through Old French "contre") and the verb "strike." The compound was formed by combining two familiar English elements, so its meaning follows directly from them: a blow delivered back against a blow already received. The noun "counterstroke" is a close relative in the same family, and the two words share the same pattern of pairing "counter-" with a word for a forceful action. Because the word is a transparent compound, its senses map neatly onto its parts. The most literal sense, a second impression made on a coin or seal to check that it is genuine or to correct a faulty original mark, grows out of "strike" in its older sense of stamping or impressing metal. The sense of a response in kind to an earlier attack, and the sense of forces opposing and balancing one another, both extend the same idea of one action answered by another.

Synonyms: countermarked, counterstamped, overstruck, recoined