Punitive damages

Etymology

From "punitive" (Latin "punire," to punish) plus "damages" (Old French "damage," from Latin "damnum," loss). Also called exemplary damages, they arose in English common law to address conduct so outrageous that mere compensation seemed inadequate.

noun phrase · /PYOO-ni-tiv DAM-i-jiz/
Money a court orders a wrongdoer to pay beyond the victim’s actual losses, meant to punish especially bad conduct and deter its repetition.
What it names
Damages whose purpose is punishment rather than repair, marking a shift in what a civil award is for.
Example
The jury added punitive damages after learning the company had hidden the defect for years.
Related idea
Contrast with compensatory damages, which simply restore the victim’s measurable loss; punitive damages exceed that figure deliberately, aiming at the defendant’s conduct rather than the plaintiff’s injury.