Retaliations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An act of returning harm or injury in response to a perceived wrong; a response to an offense involving pain or punishment; actions taken to counteract or avenge an attack or insult against oneself or one's own group
2. The act of striking back against an aggressor as a means of retribution; measures taken to address grievances or offenses by inflicting harm in return; the practice of responding to a perceived injustice with force or similar actions
3. Actions taken to avenge an offense by inflicting harm or punishment in return; responses directed towards an aggressor as a form of justice or redress; retaliatory measures aimed at addressing perceived grievances through counteraction or harm

Etymology: "Retaliations" is simply the plural of "retaliation," a noun formed from the verb "retaliate" plus the suffix "-ion." The verb "retaliate" comes from the Latin "retaliare," meaning to pay back in kind, built from "re-" (back) and "talio" (retribution in kind). The idea at the core is equal return: the Latin "talio" points to the old principle of matching a wrong with a like wrong. The suffix took a long route into English. The Latin "-ātiō" passed through Old French "-acion" and Middle English "-aciun" before English settled on the form "-ation" and, in "retaliation," the simpler "-ion" ending derived from "retaliate." Each stage kept the sense of an action or process, so the noun names the act of returning a blow in kind.

Synonyms: revenge, retribution, vengeance, reprisal, counterattack

Antonyms: forgiveness, pardon, absolution, peace, reconciliation