Venger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who seeks vengeance or retribution on behalf of oneself or others
2. An individual who actively pursues justice through retaliatory actions against those perceived to have caused harm
3. A person motivated by a desire to settle scores or rectify grievances, often involving personal or moral conflicts

Etymology: "Venger" entered Middle English from Old French, where "vengeor" and "vengeur" meant one who avenges. Its surface makeup is "venge," the stem of the verb "venge" (to avenge), with the agent ending "-er" attached, so the noun names the person doing the avenging. The Middle English spellings "vengere," "vengeour," and "vengeur" show the word being shaped by French spelling habits as it settled into English. The verb "venge" itself came into English from Old French "vengier," which in turn came from Latin "vindicare," meaning to claim or lay claim to, the same root that gives English "vindicate." Avenging was once close to asserting a right, and the sense of retaliation came later. The Old French noun "vengeor" grew from that verb stem.

Synonyms: avenger, retributor

Antonyms: forgiver