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Origin and history of vindictive

vindictive(adj.)

1610s, "vengeful," of persons, from Latin vindicta "revenge" (see vindication) + -ive; or perhaps a shortening of vindicative based on the Latin word. In reference to actions from 1620s, "punitive, retributive" rather than personally vengeful or deliberately cruel. In law vindictive damages were awarded to severely punish a perpetrator in addition to recompensing the victim. Related: Vindictively.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to vindictive

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).

vindicative(adj.)

mid-15c., vindicatif, "vindictive, having vengeful intent" (a sense now obsolete in this word); 1650s as "tending or serving to vindicate;" from Old French vindicatif (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin vindicativus, from vindicat-, past-participle stem of vindicare (see vindication). Related: Vindicativeness.

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