talion

/ˈtalɪən/

Etymology

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

Why this word is great

TALION — [Noun] Retaliation or retribution, especially as exacted in kind. From Middle French talion, from Latin talio ("retaliation, retribution"), from talis ("such"). Unlike "vengeance" (which burns with personal fury) or "restitution" (which seeks to mend rather than repay), talion is the cold arithmetic of justice: not more, not less, but equal. It is the gavel’s echo in an ancient courtroom, the surgeon’s knife excising only what was taken, the unblinking symmetry of a mirror held up to violence. A world ruled by talion would be fair, and unbearable.

noun

Retaliation; retribution.“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.”