---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for July 20, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- talion [n. TAL-ee-un] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If the punishment for an offense is exactly the same as the offense, then it is a talion, and it is talionic punishment. Example: "For the crime of murder, the talion is death." In Latin, talio was retaliation, which is another word from the same root. The idea was that retaliation should be measured out to exactly balance the offense, as in the expression "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." The ancient root was tele-, which had meanings related to lifting, supporting, and weighing, with derivatives relating to measuring and money. >From the same ancient root, we also have these words: toll: fee paid for passage or service; extent of loss or damage tolerate: to allow; to endure talent: marked innate ability, specific weight of gold or silver tola: the weight of one silver Indian rupee extoll: to praise highly ("lift up") Today's sponsor: NFO http://209.0.153.90/371/join.html WIN $4000 CASH or TRAVEL OPTIONS! Join NFO's interactive consumer research panel at http://209.0.153.90/371/join.html It takes less than 5 minutes. Influence the worldwide marketplace. Preview new products before the rest of the world. Always voluntary. Privacy assured. NFO-pioneering consumer research since 1946. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cool Word of the Day list membership: 120,060 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To send a free gift subscription: http://www.tlk-lists.com/giftsub/ Subscribing, unsubscribing, address changes: Existing subscribers: http://www.tlk-lists.com/change/ To join as a new subscriber: http://www.tlk-lists.com/join/ To become a sponsor: http://www.tlk-lists.com/sponsor/ Feedback: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc. http://www.LearningKingdom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------