ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

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verb

avenge

uh-VENJ/əˈvendʒ/

To punish someone for a wrong done to oneself or another.

He avenges the insult by drenching the man who knocked his hat into the mud.

Two panels show a red-shirted man knocking a blue-shirted man’s hat into mud, then the blue-shirted man retaliating with a bucket of water.

Etymology

aLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+vengeLatinassert a claim, protect, or avenge

Latin vindicare covered both asserting or defending a claim and avenging a wrong. Avenge expresses vindication through punishment: answering harm by inflicting a penalty on the wrongdoer.

In context

Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries50:26

"I have been deeply affected by these events and want nothing more than to avenge the wrongs done to the people of this town."

Hundred Years' War: The Bloodiest War In Medieval History

More examples

She vowed to avenge the injustice.
They avenged their earlier defeat with a decisive victory.
He was still trying to avenge a long-forgotten insult.

Forms

avenge · avenges · avenged · avenging

Similar words

retaliate: Emphasizes a return action rather than punishing a particular wrong.
revenge: Revenge often emphasizes personal satisfaction in retaliation.