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.

---

lex talionis British  

/ ˌtælɪˈəʊnɪs /

noun

1. the law of revenge or retaliation

---

Etymology

Origin of lex talionis

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lex talionis

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

Nature of legal, 30; lex talionis, 30; codes of, 30 sq.; changes made by Provisional Criminal Code, 31–32; of the gods, 99 Pygmies.

From Myths and Legends of China by E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers) Werner

"There is no law in this country but one, the lex talionis, while you and I are responsible for the lives of all these about us," said Maxwell.

From The League of the Leopard by Harold Bindloss

A singular example of the lex talionis occurred among the natives at this place.

From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 432 Volume 17, New Series, April 10, 1852 by Robert Chambers

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 M?r J?kai