Penalty

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛnəlti/

Definitions

1. A punishment or disadvantage imposed for breaking a rule, law, or contract
2. A punitive measure or loss that occurs as a result of transgressing a law, rule, or agreement
3. A consequence or sanction that results from violating a law, rule, or agreement

Etymology: The word "penalty" traces back to the Greek "poinē," which meant the price paid to atone for a wrong, a kind of blood-money or compensation owed to a victim or to the gods. Over time the sense shifted from restitution toward punishment itself. Greek "poinē" passed into Latin as "poena," which came to mean punishment in the general sense, and Latin gave rise to the adjective "poenalis," meaning relating to punishment. The word reached English through Middle French "pénalité," itself formed from "pénal," the French descendant of the Latin adjective. English speakers borrowed it as a formal term for the consequence attached to breaking a rule or law. Its relative "poena," meanwhile, survives in English mainly through scholarly and legal vocabulary, such as "penal" and "penance."

Synonyms: punishment, sanction, penalization, retribution

Antonyms: reward, benefit, incentive