| Retaliate, | } |
| Retaliation. |
It has fared with ‘retaliate’ and ‘retaliation’ as it has with ‘resent’ and ‘resentment,’ that whereas men could once speak of the ‘retaliation’ of benefits as well as of wrongs, they only ‘retaliate’ injuries now.
Our captain would not salute the city, except they would retaliate.—Diary of Henry Teonge, Aug. 1, 1675.
[The king] expects a return in specie from them [the Dissenters], that the kindness which he has graciously shown them may be retaliated on those of his own persuasion.—Dryden, The Hind and the Panther, Preface.
His majesty caused directions to be sent for the enlargement of the Roman priests, in retaliation for the prisoners that were set at liberty in Spain to congratulate the prince’s welcome.—Hacket, Life of Archbishop Williams, part i. p. 166.
Revoke. This has now a much narrower range of meaning than the Latin ‘revocare;’ but some took for granted once that wherever the one word could have been used in Latin, the other might be used in English.
The wolf, who would not be
Revokëd from the slaughter for the sweetness of the blood,
Persisted sharp and eager still, until that as he stood,
Fast biting on a bullock’s neck, she turned him into stone.