the making of amends for wrong or injury done: reparation for an injustice.
2.
Usually, reparations.compensation in money, material, labor, etc., payable by a defeated country to another country or to an individual for loss suffered during or as a result of war.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME reparacion < MF < LL reparātiōn- (s. of reparātiō), equiv. to L reparāt(us) (ptp. of reparāre to repair1; see -ate1) + -iōn--ion]
The act or process of repairing or the condition of being repaired.
The act or process of making amends; expiation.
Something done or paid to compensate or make amends.
reparations Compensation or remuneration required from a defeated nation as indemnity for damage or injury during a war.
[Middle English reparacion, from Old French, from Late Latin reparātiō, reparātiōn-, restoration, from Latin reparātus, past participle of reparāre, to repair; see repair1.]
Synonyms: These nouns refer to something given in compensation for loss, suffering, or damage. Reparation implies recompense given to one who has suffered at the hands of another: "reparation for our rights at home, and security against the like future violations" (William Pitt).
Redress involves setting an injustice right; the term may imply retaliation or punishment: "There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law" (Abraham Lincoln).
Amends usually implies the giving of satisfaction for a minor grievance or lesser injury: How can I make amends for losing my temper? Restitution is the restoration of something taken illegally: "He attempted to enforce the restitution of the Roman lands and cities" (George P.R. James).
Indemnity implies repayment or reimbursement: Homeowners demanded indemnity for the damages caused by the riot.
c.1384, "reconciliation," from L.L. reparationem (nom. reparatio) "act of repairing, restoration," from L. reparatus, pp. of reparare "restore" (see repair (1)). Meaning "act of repairing or mending" is attested from c.1400. Reparations "compensation for war damaged owed by the aggressor" is attested from 1921, from Fr. réparations (1919).
Compensation demanded by a victorious nation from a defeated nation. Reparations can be in the form of goods or money.
Note: After World War I, heavy reparation debts were imposed on Germany by Britain, France, and the other victorious nations. Resentment over these reparations aided the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Re*pair"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Repaired (-p?rd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Repairing.] [F. r['e]parer, L. reparare; pref. re- re- + parare to prepare. See Pare, and cf. Reparation.]1. To restore to a sound or good state after decay, injury, dilapidation, or partial destruction; to renew; to restore; to mend; as, to repair a house, a road, a shoe, or a ship; to repair a shattered fortune. Secret refreshings that repair his strength. --Milton. Do thou, as thou art wont, repair My heart with gladness. --Wordsworth. 2. To make amends for, as for an injury, by an equivalent; to indemnify for; as, to repair a loss or damage. I 'll repair the misery thou dost bear. --Shak. Syn: To restore, recover; renew; amend; mend; retrieve; recruit.