retaliation
definition
the act of returning an injury or wrong by inflicting harm or punishment
example
The country's leaders announced a swift retaliation against the enemy for their recent attacks.
synonyms
revengeretributionvengeance
word origin — from Latin 'retaliatio', from 'retaliari' meaning 'to return, reciprocate', composed of 're-' meaning 'again' and 'taliari' meaning 'to rend, tear'.