What does "reprisal" mean?
Reprisal: Anything taken from an enemy in retaliation.
Additional senses
- 2.The act of retorting on an enemy by inflicting suffering or death on a prisoner taken from him, in retaliation for an act of inhumanity. Vattel (Trans. )
- 3.Any act of retaliation. Waterland. Letters of marque and reprisal. See under Marque.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00