vengianza

Italian

Alternative forms

• vegianza, vegnanza

Etymology

Semi-learned borrowing from Old French vengeance, venjance (“revenge”), derived from vengier (“to avenge; to take revenge (upon)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /venˈd͡ʒan.t͡sa/
• Rhymes: -antsa
• Hyphenation: ven‧giàn‧za

Noun

vengianza f (plural vengianze) (Old Italian)

1. revenge, vengeance

   Synonyms: vendetta, vengiamento (Old Italian)

   fare/prendere vengianza ― to avenge, to take revenge

   • late 12^th to early 13^th century, anonymous author, [untitled poem], lines 93–94; republished as “Sì altamente e bene” (chapter 100), in A. D'ancona, D. Comparetti, editors, Le antiche rime volgari secondo la lezione del Codice Vaticano 3793, volume 1, Bologna: Gaetano Romagnoli, 1875:

     Cantando mi lamento;
     Quest’è la mia vegianza.

     I lament as I sing: this is my vengeance.

   • 13^th century, Jacopone da Todi, [untitled poem]; republished as “Como la veritá piange ch’è morta la bontade [Truth laments the death of Goodness]” (chapter 61), in Giovanni Ferri, editor, Le Laude secondo la stampa fiorentina del 1490 [Praises]‎^[1], Bari: Laterza, 1915, page 117:

     — O Bontá nobilissima, — chi ne fará vegnanza
     de tanta iniquitanza — ch’en te è demostrata? —

     O most noble Goodness, who is going to avenge such iniquity that is revealed in you?

Related terms

• vengiamento
• vengiare
• vengiato
• vengiatore

 

References

• Accademia della Crusca (p. 1961), “vengianza”, in Grande dizionario della lingua italiana (in Italian), volume 21, page 737