penalty : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: penalty	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for penalty
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
penalty n the act of punishing [syn: punishment, penalty, penalization, penalisation] a payment required for not fulfilling a contract the disadvantage or painful consequences of an action or condition; "neglected his health and paid the penalty" Antonym(s): advantage, reward (games) a handicap or disadvantage that is imposed on a competitor (or a team) for an infraction of the rules of the game
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Penalty \Pe"nalty\, n.; pl. {Penalties}. [F. p[82]nalit[82]. See {Penal}.] 1. Penal retribution; punishment for crime or offense; the suffering in person or property which is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime, offense, or trespass. Death is the penalty* imposed. --Milton. 2. The suffering, or the sum to be forfeited, to which a person subjects himself by covenant or agreement, in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations; forfeiture; fine. The penalty and forfeit of my bond. --Shak. 3. A handicap. [Sporting Cant] Note: The term penalty is in law mostly applied to a pecuniary punishment. {Bill of pains and penalties}. See under {Bill}. {On}, [or] {Under}, {penalty of}, on pain of; with exposure to the penalty of, in case of transgression.