talion

[tal-ee-uh n]

See more synonyms for talion on Thesaurus.com

noun

lex talionis.

Origin of talion

1375–1425; < Latin tāliōn- (stem of tāliō) exaction of compensation in kind; replacing late Middle English talioun < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for talion

right, guerdon, merit, discipline, comeuppance, due, penalty, return, revenge, requital, payment, retribution, chastisement, compensation, recompense, deserving, reward, punishment, meed

Examples from the Web for talion

Historical Examples of talion

In the primitive code of the talion nothing was more simple—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—thou hast killed; I kill thee.
South America To-day
Georges Clemenceau
But it is to be questioned whether the rule of talion is the right one for the Kabyles.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science
Various

British Dictionary definitions for talion

talion

noun

the system or legal principle of making the punishment correspond to the crime; retaliation

Word Origin for talion

C15: via Old French from Latin tāliō, from tālis such

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012