Meanings
nouncontrapasso (uncountable)
- uncountableThe concept that the punishment of an individual's soul in Hell corresponds to the sin that person committed on earth.
Origin
Coined by Dante in his work Inferno, from contra (“counter”) and passo (“step, pace”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
contrapasso. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrapasso
MLA
“contrapasso.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrapasso. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contrapasso,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrapasso.
Source: contrapasso on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.