Nearby Words

retaliation

[ri-tal-ee-ey-shuhn] Origin

re·tal·i·a·tion

[ri-tal-ee-ey-shuhn]
noun
the act of retaliating; return of like for like; reprisal.

Origin:
1575–85; retaliate + -ion

coun·ter·re·tal·i·a·tion, noun
non·re·tal·i·a·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Retaliation has a plethora of syllables.
So is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does it mean:
(used as a nonsense word by children to express approval or to represent the longest word in English.)
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.
Collins
World English Dictionary
retaliate (rɪˈtælɪˌeɪt)
 
vb
1.  (intr) to take retributory action, esp by returning some injury or wrong in kind
2.  (intr) to cast (accustations) back upon a person
3.  rare (tr) to avenge (an injury, wrong, etc)
 
[C17: from Late Latin retāliāre, from Latin re- + tālis of such kind]
 
retali'ation
 
n
 
re'taliative
 
adj
 
re'taliatory
 
adj
 
re'taliator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

retaliation
1580s, from L.L. retaliare "pay back in kind," from re- "back" + L. talio "exaction of payment in kind," from talis "suchlike." Originally used both in good and evil senses.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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