reparations

[ rep-uh-rey-shuhnz ]

plural noun

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: The U.S. government eventually disbursed reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned during World War II.
monetary or other compensation payable by a country to an individual for a historical wrong: The article is about reparations to Black people for the enslavement of their ancestors.

Origin of reparations

First recorded in 1350–1400; plural of reparation (in the sense of “something done or given to make amends”)

Arguments for reparations have moved beyond whether they should be paid.
How reparations would work today | Rodney Brooks | October 6, 2020 | Quartz
A quick glance at Hansard, the database of official transcripts of every debate in Parliament for the last 200 years, reveals reparations are a rarely discussed issue.
What the UK owes in reparations | Hasit Shah | October 6, 2020 | Quartz
For nearly 30 years, there’s been a bill kicking around among Democrats in Congress to study and develop reparation proposals.
Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations? (Ep. 426) | Stephen J. Dubner | July 16, 2020 | Freakonomics
To Hamilton, a successful reparation program would need two major components.
Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations? (Ep. 426) | Stephen J. Dubner | July 16, 2020 | Freakonomics
The discussion of reparations for descendants of slaves saw some chatter this year after a piece in The Atlantic.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work | William O’Connor | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

There was a time when reparations for slavery was a hot issue in race discussions in America.
America Is Coming to Terms with Its Racial Past—Let’s Look Ahead Instead | John McWhorter | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We rightly condemn the Allied leaders of the 1920s for squeezing Germany so hard on reparations.
The Presidents We Should Have Had | David Frum | February 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
His newest obsession is proving that Barack Obama is implicated in a “stealth reparations movement”.
Behind the Right's Glenn Beck Backlash | Conor Friedersdorf | February 25, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
We were born rich; we revel in the "reparations" that our fathers wrung from a conquered Nature.
The Iron Puddler | James J. Davis
He suggested to me that I should make reparations to my wife by allowing her to divorce me!
The Lady of North Star | Ottwell J. Binns
Linked up with it also is that deep and grave problem of reparations.
Essays in Liberalism | Various
Three other churches the Primate has also built, and done considerable reparations to the cathedral.
A Tour in Ireland | Arthur Young
Note: Now was our Communion table placed altarwise; the church steeple, clock, and other reparations finished.
The Diary of John Evelyn, Volume II (of 2) | John Evelyn

Browse