retribution (English)

Where does "retribution" come from?

The English noun retribution traces its roots back to the Latin verb 'retribuere', meaning to repay[1]. This Latin term is formed from the prefix 're-' combined with 'tribuō'[2], which ultimately derives from 'tribus'[3]. The Latin word 'tribus' originally referred to the three divisions of the Roman people and stems from 'trēs', meaning three[4]. Deeper ancestral roots stretch back to the Proto-Indo-European form '*tréyes'[1].

Open questions

• The exact origin of the Latin word tribus involves competing etymologies that depend on whether it derives from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to put or to grow. [4] [5]

Full etymology tree

• retribution (English), 'Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.'
  • derived retribuere (Latin), 'inflection of retribuō:'
    • derived retribuo (Latin), 'to give back, return or repay (money)'
      • prefix re- (Latin), 'back, backwards'
      • affix tribuo (Latin), 'to grant, bestow, assign, attribute'
        • derived tribus (Latin), 'One of the three original tribes of Rome: Ramnes, Tities, Luceres.'
          • compound tres (Latin), 'three; 3'
            • inherited *tréyes (Proto-Indo-European), 'three'
        • suffix -o (Latin), 'forms regular third-conjugation verbs'

Ancestors

• retribuo (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• nonretribution (English)

Related words

• wrath (English)

Sources

1. retribution (English) - Wiktionary
2. retribuo (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. tribuo (Latin) - Wiktionary
4. tribus (Latin) - Wiktionary
5. triðus (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris