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a·venge 
Audio Help [uh-venj] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [uh-venj] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object), a·venged, a·veng·ing.
| 1. | to take vengeance or exact satisfaction for: to avenge a grave insult. |
| 2. | to take vengeance on behalf of: He avenged his brother. |
[Origin: 1325–75; ME avengen < OF avengier, equiv. to a- a-5 + vengier < L vindicāre; see vindicate]
] —Related forms
a·venge·ful, adjective
a·veng·er, noun
a·veng·ing·ly, adverb
—Synonyms vindicate. Avenge, revenge both imply to inflict pain or harm in return for pain or harm inflicted on oneself or those persons or causes to which one feels loyalty. The two words were formerly interchangeable, but have been differentiated until they now convey widely diverse ideas. Avenge is now restricted to inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice or as a vindication of propriety: to avenge a murder by bringing the criminal to trial. Revenge implies inflicting pain or harm to retaliate for real or fancied wrongs; a reflexive pronoun is often used with this verb: Iago wished to revenge himself upon Othello.
—Antonyms 1. forgive.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Avenge
To learn more about Avenge visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| a·venge
Audio Help (ə-věnj') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. a·venged, a·veng·ing, a·veng·es
[Middle English avengen, from Old French avengier : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + vengier, to vindicate (from Latin vindicāre, to claim; see vindicate).] a·veng'er n., a·veng'ing·ly adv. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
avenge
1377, from O.Fr. avengier, from a- "to" + vengier "take revenge," from L. vindicare "to claim, avenge, punish" (see vindicate).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| avenge | |
verb | |
| take revenge for a perceived wrong; "He wants to avenge the murder of his brother" [syn: revenge] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
avenge [əˈvendʒ] verb
to take revenge for a wrong on behalf of someone else
Example: He avenged his brother / his brother's death.
Example: He avenged his brother / his brother's death.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Avenge
A*venge"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Avenged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Avenging (?).] [OF. avengier; L. ad + vindicare to lay claim to, to avenge, revenge. See Vengeance.]1. To take vengeance for; to exact satisfaction for by punishing the injuring party; to vindicate by inflicting pain or evil on a wrongdoer. He will avenge the blood of his servants. --Deut. xxxii. 43. Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold. --Milton. He had avenged himself on them by havoc such as England had never before seen. --Macaulay. 2. To treat revengefully; to wreak vengeance on. [Obs.] Thy judgment in avenging thine enemies. --Bp. Hall. Syn: To Avenge, Revenge. Usage: To avenge is to inflict punishment upon evil doers in behalf of ourselves, or others for whom we act; as, to avenge one's wrongs; to avenge the injuries of the suffering and innocent. It is to inflict pain for the sake of vindication, or retributive justice. To revenge is to inflict pain or injury for the indulgence of resentful and malicious feelings. The former may at times be a duty; the latter is one of the worst exhibitions of human character. I avenge myself upon another, or I avenge another, or I avenge a wrong. I revenge only myself, and that upon another. --C. J. Smith.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Avenge
A*venge"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Avenged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Avenging (?).] [OF. avengier; L. ad + vindicare to lay claim to, to avenge, revenge. See Vengeance.]1. To take vengeance for; to exact satisfaction for by punishing the injuring party; to vindicate by inflicting pain or evil on a wrongdoer. He will avenge the blood of his servants. --Deut. xxxii. 43. Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold. --Milton. He had avenged himself on them by havoc such as England had never before seen. --Macaulay. 2. To treat revengefully; to wreak vengeance on. [Obs.] Thy judgment in avenging thine enemies. --Bp. Hall. Syn: To Avenge, Revenge. Usage: To avenge is to inflict punishment upon evil doers in behalf of ourselves, or others for whom we act; as, to avenge one's wrongs; to avenge the injuries of the suffering and innocent. It is to inflict pain for the sake of vindication, or retributive justice. To revenge is to inflict pain or injury for the indulgence of resentful and malicious feelings. The former may at times be a duty; the latter is one of the worst exhibitions of human character. I avenge myself upon another, or I avenge another, or I avenge a wrong. I revenge only myself, and that upon another. --C. J. Smith.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Avenge
A*venge"\, v. i. To take vengeance. --Levit. xix. 18.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
avenge
avenge: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary
| On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB |
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