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Today I learned about Russia and the word “Reprisal” using my The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition.

Russia

1. A former empire of eastern Europe and northern Asia. Originally settled by Slavs from the third to the eighth century, the region was long a conglomerate of independent principalities until Moscow gained ascendancy in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The empire achieved the height of its power and territorial influence under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great in the 17th and 18th centuries. The early 1800s were a period of reactionism, and although some liberal reforms were effected in the late 1800s, discontent remained and led directly to the Revolutions of 1905 and 1917, an internal power struggle, end the formation of the USSR in 1922. . . . Moscow is the capital. Population: 143,000,000. [1]

Reprisal

n. 1. Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return. 2. Forcible seizure of an enemy’s goods or subjects in retaliation for injuries inflicted. 3. The practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war. [2]

Footnotes:
1. “Russia.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. 2006.

2. “Reprisal.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. 2006.