talion

English

Etymology

From Middle French talion, from Latin talis (“such”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtalɪən/

Noun

talion (uncountable)

1. Retaliation; retribution.
   • 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:

     Simple talion may be fine for wartime, but politics between wars demands symmetry and a more elegant idea of justice, even to the point of masquerading, a bit decadently, as mercy.

Derived terms

• talionic

Anagrams

• Latino, Latino-, Natoli, NoLIta, latino, lation

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taˈlion/
• Rhymes: -ion
• Syllabification: ta‧li‧on

Noun

talion

1. accusative singular of talio

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French talion, borrowed from Latin taliōnem, from talis (“such”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ta.ljɔ̃/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

talion m (uncountable)

1. retaliation
2. (law) a punishment equal to the injury sustained

Further reading

• “talion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle French

Etymology

First known attestation in 1395, borrowed from Latin tāliō.

Noun

talion f (plural talions)

1. punishment consisting of the offender having done to him or her what he or she has done to the victim

Descendants

• French: talion
  • → Romanian: talion
• → English: talion

References

• Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “talion”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French talion.

Noun

talion n (uncountable)

1. talion, retaliation

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	talion	talionul
genitive-dative	talion	talionului
vocative	talionule