Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eye for an eye

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.71 in modern English

Syllables
eye- -for an -eye
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting an identical injury on that person.

Etymology

Calque of Hebrew עין תחת עין (ayin tahat ayin), in reference to Exodus 21:23-25: "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (King James Version; spelling modernized).

Phrases

an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind fight fire with fire lex talionis mirror punishment mutual assured destruction race to the bottom two wrongs don't make a right

Frequently Paired Words

an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind fight fire with fire internecine lex talionis mirror punishment mutual assured destruction race to the bottom

Synonyms

a Roland for an Oliver tit for tat

Antonyms

turn the other cheek

Questions

What does eye for an eye mean?
Compensation for injury caused by a person, in the form of inflicting an identical injury on that person.
Where does eye for an eye come from?
Calque of Hebrew עין תחת עין (ayin tahat ayin), in reference to Exodus 21:23-25: "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (King James Version; spelling modernized).

How to pronounce eye for an eye

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “eye for an eye”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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