RETRIBU'TION, noun 1. Repayment; return accommodated to the action; reward; compensation. In good offices and due retributions, we may not be pinching and niggardly. 2. A gratuity or present given for services in the place of a salary. 3. The distribution of rewards and punishments at the general judgment. It is a strong argument for a state of retribution hereafter, that in this world virtuous persons are very often unfortunate, and vicious persons prosperous.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI