[ri-venj] 
verb, -venged, -veng⋅ing, noun | 1. | to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, esp. in a resentful or vindictive spirit: He revenged his murdered brother. |
| 2. | to take vengeance for; inflict punishment for; avenge: He revenged his brother's murder. |
| 3. | to take revenge. |
| 4. | the act of revenging; retaliation for injuries or wrongs; vengeance. |
| 5. | something done in vengeance. |
| 6. | the desire to revenge; vindictiveness. |
| 7. | an opportunity to retaliate or gain satisfaction. |
| re·venge (rĭ-věnj') tr.v. re·venged, re·veng·ing, re·veng·es
[Middle English revengen, from Old French revengier : re-, re- + vengier, to take revenge (from Latin vindicāre, to avenge, from vindex, vindic-, avenger; see deik- in Indo-European roots).] re·veng'er n. |
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 1547.