reprisal

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman reprisaille (French représaille), from Old Italian ripresaglia (Italian rappresaglia), from ripreso, past participle of riprendere (“to take back”), from Latin reprendere, earlier reprehendere (see reprehend).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪzəl

Noun

reprisal (countable and uncountable, plural reprisals)

1. An act of retaliation.
2. (archaic) Something taken from an enemy in retaliation.
3. (archaic) The act of taking something from an enemy by way of retaliation or indemnity.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     debatable ground, on which incursions and reprisals continued to take place

Anagrams

• Parliers, sarplier