lex talionis

American  

[leks tal-ee-oh-nis] / ˈlɛks ˌtæl iˈoʊ nɪs /

noun

1. the principle or law of retaliation that a punishment inflicted should correspond in degree and kind to the offense of the wrongdoer, as an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; retributive justice.

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lex talionis British  

/ ˌtælɪˈəʊnɪs /

noun

1. the law of revenge or retaliation

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Etymology

Origin of lex talionis

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin lēx tāliōnis “law of talion” ( talion ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

It is my own dear daughter, the wife of Paul Wesselenyi, who, driven from her fatherland, on her knees implored me, as I loved her, to let the lex talionis assert its rights.

From 'Midst the Wild Carpathians by J?kai, M?r

But lex talionis, as the lawyers call it—pay ’em back in their own coin.

From The Kopje Garrison A Story of the Boer War by Boucher, W.

To the Hindu, on the other hand, the lex talionis is a law of life still enforced.

From India's Problem, Krishna or Christ by Jones, John P. (John Peter)

There is in every human breast a strong sense of what the learned call lex talionis, and children tit for tat.

From Moral Philosophy by Rickaby, Joseph , S. J.

It is state-law; alike self-help, blood-feud, marriage by capture, are absent; though family solidarity, district responsibility, ordeal, the lex talionis, are primitive features that remain.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1 "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" by Various