Countermarque
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A license to pass the limits of a jurisdiction, or boundary of a country, for the purpose of making reprisals for a seizure conducted under a letter of marque; a letter of countermarque.
"That if any injury be done or practised by either nation, or the subjects or inhabitatns of the same, against the subjects or inhabitants of the other, or against any of the articles of this present treaty, or against common right; yet nevertheless no letters of reprisal, marque, or countermarque, shall be granted by either side, till justice hath been first demanded according to the ordinary course of law; but in case justice be there denied or delayed, then that the said King of Great Britain, and the said States General, or commissioners of that nation whose subjects and inhabitants have suffered the wrong, shall publicly require justice from that other party, where (as abovesaid) it was denied or delayed, or from that power appointed to hear and decide such differences, that there may be a friendly compusure, or due process of law."
Example
More examples"That if any injury be done or practised by either nation, or the subjects or inhabitatns of the same, against the subjects or inhabitants of the other, or against any of the articles of this present treaty, or against common right; yet nevertheless no letters of reprisal, marque, or countermarque, shall be granted by either side, till justice hath been first demanded according to the ordinary course of law; but in case justice be there denied or delayed, then that the said King of Great Britain, and the said States General, or commissioners of that nation whose subjects and inhabitants have suffered the wrong, shall publicly require justice from that other party, where (as abovesaid) it was denied or delayed, or from that power appointed to hear and decide such differences, that there may be a friendly compusure, or due process of law."
Etymology
From counter- + marque.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.