vendetta

[ ven-det-uh ]
See synonyms for vendetta on Thesaurus.com
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, especially 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 of vendetta

1
First recorded in 1850–55; from Italian, from Latin vindicta “vengeance”; see vindictive

Other words from vendetta

  • ven·det·tist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for vendetta

vendetta

/ (vɛnˈdɛtə) /


noun
  1. a private feud, originally between Corsican or Sicilian families, in which the relatives of a murdered person seek vengeance by killing the murderer or some member of his family

  2. any prolonged feud, quarrel, etc

Origin of vendetta

1
C19: from Italian, from Latin vindicta, from vindicāre to avenge; see vindicate

Derived forms of vendetta

  • vendettist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012