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retribution

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ret⋅ri⋅bu⋅tion

  [re-truh-byoo-shuhn]
–noun
1. requital according to merits or deserts, esp. for evil.
2. something given or inflicted in such requital.
3. Theology. the distribution of rewards and punishments in a future life.
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Origin:
1350–1400; ME retribucioun < MF < LL retribūtiōn- (s. of retribūtiō) punishment, reward as result of judgment, equiv. to L retribūt(us) (ptp. of retribuere to restore, give back; see re-, tribute ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms:
1, 2. retaliation, repayment, recompense. See revenge.

Antonyms:
1, 2. pardon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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ret·ri·bu·tion   (rět'rə-byōō'shən)   
n.  

  1. Something justly deserved; recompense.

  2. Something given or demanded in repayment, especially punishment.

  3. Theology Punishment or reward distributed in a future life based on performance in this one.


[Middle English retribucion, from Old French retribution, from Latin retribūtiō, retribūtiōn-, from retribūtus, past participle of retribuere, to pay back : re-, re- + tribuere, to grant; see tribe.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

retribution 
1382, "repayment," from L. retributionem (nom. retributio) "recompense, repayment," from retributus, pp. of retribuere "hand back, repay," from re- "back" + tribuere "to assign, allot" (see tribute). Sense of "evil given for evil done" is from day of retribution (1526) in Christian theology, the time of divine reward or punishment.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ret·ri·bu·tion
Pronunciation: "re-tr&-'byü-sh&n
Function: noun
: punishment imposed (as on a convicted criminal) for purposes of repayment or revenge for the wrong committed
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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