restitution
noun
Restitution — the formal return of something to its rightful owner
Definition
Getting something back again; "upon the restitution of the book to its rightful owner the child was given a tongue lashing"
In depth
Restitution is the act of getting something back again, particularly the formal return of property, rights, or value to its rightful owner, often as a remedy for wrongful taking or harm caused. The word carries significant legal and moral weight, naming an act of correction that attempts to restore a situation to what it would have been absent the original wrong.
Origin
The word descends from Latin restitutio, a restoring, from restituere, to set up again or restore, formed from re- (again) and statuere (to set up). That underlying sense of setting something back up again, rather than merely returning it, gives restitution its particular moral weight, the act understood as a genuine attempt to repair rather than simply undo a prior wrong.
Usage examples
"Upon the restitution of the book to its rightful owner, the library finally closed a case that had remained open for decades."
"The court ordered restitution, requiring the offender to compensate the victims for their documented financial losses."
"Calls for restitution regarding historical injustices have grown increasingly prominent in public discourse."
How to use it
Restitution is significant legal and ethical vocabulary, useful wherever a writer discusses the formal correction of wrongful taking or harm, particularly important in writing about criminal justice, historical injustice, and the return of looted or stolen cultural property.
Related concepts
Looking for a word but don't know its name?
Try the Word Finder →