| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
To avenge is to get revenge or to take vengeance; it suggests the administration of just punishment for a criminal or immoral act. Revenge seems to stress the idea of retaliation a bit more strongly and implies real hatred as its motivation. ["The Columbia Guide to Standard American English," 1993]The noun is first recorded 1540s.