Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Retribute

Retribute , transitive verb

[Latin retributus, p. p. ofretribuere to retribute; pref re- + tribuere to bestow, assign, pay. See Tribute.]

To pay back; to give in return, as payment, reward, or punishment; to requite; as, to retribute one for his kindness; to retribute just punishment to a criminal. [Obsolete or Rare] — Locke