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Origin and history of venge

venge(v.)

"avenge, take vengeance, exact retribution," c. 1300, vengen, from Old French vengier "revenge, avenge, punish," from Latin vindicare "avenge, vindicate" (see vindication). Related: Venged; venging. Agent noun venger is attested from late 14c.; vengeresse was used late 14c. of a Fury.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to venge

vindication(n.)

mid-15c., vendicacion, "act of avenging, revenge; assertion of a claim" (senses now obsolete); 1640s as "justification by proof, defense against censure;" from Old French vindicacion "vengeance, revenge" and directly from Latin vindicationem (nominative vindicatio) "act of claiming or avenging," noun of action from past-participle stem of vindicare "lay claim to, assert; claim for freedom, set free; protect, defend; avenge" (related to vindicta "revenge"). This is held to be probably from vim dicare "to show authority," from vim, accusative of vis "force" (see vim) + dicare "to proclaim" (see diction).

vengeful(adj.)

"disposed to take revenge, vindictive, cruel, malevolent, characterized by vengeance," 1580s, from obsolete venge (v.) "take revenge" + -ful. Earlier adjectives in similar senses include vengeable (late 14c.), vengaunt (mid-14c.), vengerous. An adverb vengancely is attested from mid-15c. Related: Vengefully; vengefulness.

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