withername
/ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌneɪm/
withername means A second or reciprocal distress of other goods in lieu of goods which were taken by a first distress and have been eloigned; a taking by way of reprisal. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
withername is pronounced /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌneɪm/.
Why “withername” is a great word
WITHERNAME — [Noun] A second or reciprocal seizure of goods, taken in reprisal for goods that were previously distrained and then removed or concealed. From Middle English, from Old English wiþernām ("seizure", literally "a take-back"), from Old Norse viðrnam, equivalent to wither- ("against") + nim ("a taking"). Unlike replevin, a formal action to recover goods, or distraint, the general act of initial seizure, withername is the specific, retaliatory grasp after the first prize has been snatched away. It is the sheriff's hand closing on a second ox in the byre after the first was hidden, the creditor's men taking the silver from the mantle, the splintering of a latch on a stall from which a cow was already once hidden—a stark testament that before courts offered remedy, justice was a reciprocal arithmetic of action and answering grab.
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old English wiþernām (“seizure”, literally “a take-back”), from Old Norse viðrnam, equivalent to wither- (“against”) + nim. More at wither, nim.
noun
- A second or reciprocal distress of other goods in lieu of goods which were taken by a first distress and have been eloigned; a taking by way of reprisal