Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

vendetta

 - 4 dictionary results

ven⋅det⋅ta

  [ven-det-uh]
Use vendetta in a Sentence
–noun
1. a private feud in which the members of the family of a murdered person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer or one of the slayer's relatives, esp. such vengeance as once practiced in Corsica and parts of Italy.
2. any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like: a political vendetta.
Origin:
1850–55; < It < L vindicta vengeance; see vindictive

Related forms:
ven⋅det⋅tist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To vendetta
ven·det·ta   (věn-dět'ə)   
n.  

  1. A feud between two families or clans that arises out of a slaying and is perpetuated by retaliatory acts of revenge; a blood feud.

  2. A bitter, destructive feud.


[Italian, from Latin vindicta, revenge; see vindictive.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

vendetta 
1855, from It. vendetta "a feud, blood feud," from L. vindicta "revenge" (see vindictive). Especially associated with Corsica.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

vendetta

a continuing state of conflict between two groups within a society (typically kinship groups) characterized by violence, usually killings and counterkillings. It exists in many nonliterate communities in which there is an absence of law or a breakdown of legal procedures and in which attempts to redress a grievance in a way that is acceptable to both parties have failed.

Learn more about vendetta with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see vendetta on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way