revenge

• IPA^(key): /ɹəˈvɛnd͡ʒ/, /ɹɪˈvɛnd͡ʒ/, /ɹiˈvɛnd͡ʒ/

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• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈvendʒ/
• Hyphenation: re‧venge

From Middle French revenge, a derivation from revenger, from Old French revengier (possibly influenced by Old Occitan revènge (“revenge, comeback”), from Old Occitan revenir (“to come back”)), a variant of Middle French revancher, from Old French revenchier. The variants Old French vengier (whence French venger) and Old French venchier are both descended from Latin vindicō, with stress-conditioned different parallel development in the inflectional forms. Compare avenge and vengeance.

revenge (usually uncountable, plural revenges)

1. Any form of personal, retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some alleged or perceived harm or injustice.

   Synonyms: payback, wreak; see also Thesaurus:revenge

   Indifference is the sweetest revenge.

   When I left my wife, she tried to set fire to the house in revenge.

2. A win by a previous loser.
   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

• → Japanese: リベンジ

From Middle English revengen, from Old French revengier, revenger.

revenge (third-person singular simple present revenges, present participle revenging, simple past and past participle revenged)

1. (transitive) To take revenge for (a particular harmful action) or on behalf of (its victim); to avenge.

   Arsenal revenged their loss to Manchester United last time with a 5–0 drubbing this time.

   • 1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     The gods are just, and will revenge our cause.

   • 1814, Lord Berners, The Ancient Chronicles of Sir John Froissart:

     to revenge the death of our fathers

   • c. 1840, Leigh Hunt, The Seer; Or, Common-places Refreshed:

     However, my veneration for that illustrious man was so great, that on the night when he died, I revenged him finely on his two principal enemies.

2. (transitive, reflexive) To take one's revenge (on or upon someone).
   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
     Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius.

3. (intransitive, archaic) To take vengeance; to revenge itself.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

     a bird that will revenge upon you all

   • 1814, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VII”, in H[enry] F[rancis] Cary, transl., The Vision; or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, of Dante Alighieri. […], volume III (Paradise), London: […] [J. Barfield] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 30, lines 45–47:

     Count it not hard henceforth, when thou dost hear
     That a just vengeance was by righteous court
     Justly reveng'd. […]

• revengement
• revenger

• vendetta
• avenge
• venge
• vengeance
• get one's own back
• get back at somebody
• retaliate

• genever