Restitution

How to spell restitution

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce restitution

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does restitution mean?

1. nounThe act of restoring something lost or stolen to its rightful owner, or compensation paid for injury or loss.

Restitution in a sentence

• The court ordered full restitution to the victims of the fraud.

• The company agreed to pay restitution for the damaged shipment.

Where does restitution come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin restitutio, a noun meaning 'a restoring' or 'a giving back', which was built on the verb restituere 'to restore, rebuild, or reinstate'. That verb combines re- 'back, again' with statuere 'to set up or establish', itself rooted in status 'a standing or position', so the literal idea is to set something back in its proper place. English took the word in during the 1300s through Old French restitution, originally in the broad sense of restoring a person or thing to a former condition. Over time the legal and moral sense narrowed toward giving back what was wrongly taken or making good a loss, which is how we use it most often today. The same statuere root quietly underlies relatives such as 'statute', 'institute', and 'constitute', and noticing that shared -stitut- spine helps explain the otherwise tricky spelling of the middle of the word.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• -stitut- (from Latin statuere: to set up, establish)
• -ion (noun-forming suffix)