Damage

Dam"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Damaged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Damaging (?).] [Cf. OF. damagier, domagier. See Damage, n.] To occasion damage to the soundness, goodness, or value of; to hurt; to injure; to impair.

He . . . came up to the English admiral and gave him a broadside, with which he killed many of his men and damaged the ship.

Dam"age (dăm"?j), v. i. To receive damage or harm; to be injured or impaired in soundness or value; as, some colors in cloth damage in sunlight.

Dam"age (dăm"?j; 48), n. [OF. damage, domage, F. dommage, fr. assumed LL. damnaticum, from L. damnum damage. See Damn.] 1. Injury or harm to person, property, or reputation; an inflicted loss of value; detriment; hurt; mischief.

He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet and drinketh damage.

Great errors and absurdities many commit for want of a friend to tell them of them, to the great damage both of their fame and fortune.

2. pl. (Law) The estimated reparation in money for detriment or injury sustained; a compensation, recompense, or satisfaction to one party, for a wrong or injury actually done to him by another.

☞ In common-law actions, the jury are the proper judges of damages.

Consequential damage. See under Consequential. -- Exemplary damages (Law), damages imposed by way of example to others. - - Nominal damages (Law), those given for a violation of a right where no actual loss has accrued. -- Vindictive damages, those given specially for the punishment of the wrongdoer.

Syn. -- Mischief; injury; harm; hurt; detriment; evil; ill. See Mischief.