# Revenge



## Killuak

Hi everybody!

I'm curious to get to know the translation of revenge in as many languages as possible!

In Italian: Vendetta.

What about others?


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## Outsider

Portuguese: vingança.

French: vengeance.

By the way, in English you can also say "vengeance".


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## Tamar

In Hebrew: נקמה  nekama


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## Aserolf

En español (Spanish): Venganza


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## kusurija

In Czech we use often vendeta from Italian. Also msta, pomsta, revanš (from English), odplata...


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## Saluton

Russian: месть (mest') or, rarer, отмщение (otmshcheniye), perhaps расплата (rasplata, literally: payback). We have вендетта (vendetta) too, but this word would denote the Italian custom rather than vengeance in general.


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## ThomasK

Dutch :  _wraak_

German : _Rache_


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## kusurija

In Lithuanian:
kerštas


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## valdo

In *Latvian*:
Atriebíba


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## Mahaodeh

In Arabic you have two words:

إنتقام = intiqaam
ثأر = tha'r (where th is pronounced as in _thanks_ and the apostrophy is glotteral stop)


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## mcibor

in Polish most common is
zemsta
then less popular is
odwet

You can say also after Italian
wendetta
but this is more family matter like in Romeo and Juliette

rewanż is used mostly in games - somebody won and you play rematch


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## ThomasK

Just wondering: are all of these words refer to acts of vengeance (commit revenge) or (only) to the feelings ? I think _revenge_ refers to the acts rather than to the underlying feelings. Etymologically it seems related to punishment; Is that the reason why Kurusija mentions several words in Czech ? 

I also wonder: are there underlying metaphors in any of those words ? _(There are none in_ wraak/ Rache_, so I think, but there are in 'retaliation' --- but is that a synonym of vengeance ?)_ 

I thought _'vendetta'_ was some kind of metaphor, but it isn't, so it seems. But it leads to an adjective and verb related to _vengeance_: _vindictive/ vindicate_.


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## mcibor

In Polish zemsta is a feeling and act, also there is verb:
zemścić się - to take revenge, and adj:
pomszczony - avenged

Odwet is only an act, but it doesn't always mean revenge, it also means retaliation.

Wendetta as I mentioned is used only in mafia / family matters, but not Polish. In Poland we rarely have vendettas

And last but not least rewanż is almost always translated as rematch


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## ThomasK

Would you have any idea of why there are several words, Mcibor ? Slightly different meanings or ... ?


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## mcibor

I would say there is a big difference in meanings.
Even between zemsta and odwet - zemsta conveys negative feelings, whereas odwet is just retaliation.
Moreover there is a saying in Polish, that zemsta (revenge) is sweet but tastes best when is cold (zemsta jest słodka, ale smakuje najlepiej na zimno)

So zemsta is usually planned for a long time, before taking place.
Odwet on the other hand is swift, performed without any delay and only short planning.

As for wendetta and rewanż I think the difference in Polish is now clear.


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## ThomasK

Very interesting, thanks. I think we'd need to pay attention to that distinction further up...


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## Saluton

I think I was wrong about Russian. The word вендетта (vendetta) can, indeed, be used metaphorically and it can mean vengeance in general, come to think of it.


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## iAnna

In Swedish: *vendetta* or *hämnd*


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## ThomasK

Is there a difference between both, iAnna ?


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## fando001

Rumanian : razbunare, it's the act of revenge. Verb " a se razbuna"


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## iAnna

*Vendetta* is used more among gangsters, like the Italian way.

*Hämnd* is the old Swedish word for revegne, I guess already the vikings *hämnades* on each other. You use the word between siblings or neighborghs e.g.


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## ThomasK

I guess that has to do with _enmity_/ _enemy _(Lat. _in-amicus_) in English. Interesting !


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## Hermocrates

Besides *revenge* and *vengeance*, in English there's also _*feud* _(but this term is more appropriate when talking about prolonged animosity/hostility between two parties, typically families or communities).

*Vendetta* can be used too, but it is a tad poetical.


Rye


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## ThomasK

_Feud_ is interesting indeed. It shows the need to distinguish between the feelings and the act(s) of retaliation, which can both be referred to as _revenge_. Although: is a feud (a feeling of) revenge ? It may lead to acts of retaliation, but is it linked with revenge as such ? Sure, there is enmity in it (linked with _revenge_ in Swedish, so we learnt).


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## Hermocrates

ThomasK said:


> _Feud_ is interesting indeed. It shows the need to distinguish between the feelings and the act(s) of retaliation, which can both be referred to as _revenge_. Although: is a feud (a feeling of) revenge ? It may lead to acts of retaliation, but is it linked with revenge as such ? Sure, there is enmity in it (linked with _revenge_ in Swedish, so we learnt).



Yes, in my opinion it is, but depending on the context it may not be taken for granted.

Originally, feud was a typical practice in Germanic law: in that context, if someone damaged your family or allies in some way, you were morally (and socially) obliged to avenge the wrong. Unfortunately this could lead to endless mutual killings, because all parties involved felt under the same obligation to pursue their vendetta. 

In every day use, however, I think the component of a strong drive to seek revenge may often be overlooked. The stress is actually on the "reiteration" and "mutuality" of hostilities. It is frequently used in the context of political or social debate, or of ethnic conflicts, for example. 

On a side note, as a term of Germanic origin, feud is probably etymologically related to similar terms in German or Dutch or other Germanic languages. However, I don't know if the current meaning in other Germanic languages has similar connotations/nuances. 

Rye


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## Epilio

Asturian: _rebenga_.
Catalan: _venjança_.


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## ThomasK

Starting with the easiest part first: _feud_ and _vete_ in Dutch, Fehde in German, seem quite similar, though the English word might refer to more intense feelings (not sure). 

I agree that revenge is considered to refer to an act, not so much to the underlying feeling (feelings of revenge, wraakgevoelens in Dutch, seems more specific) -- if I understand you correctly.


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## javiskefka

Korean:

복수
_boksu_


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## ThomasK

Feeling or retaliation, Javiskefka ? And: any link with other words ? (Thanks)


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## javiskefka

It's a noun that means paying back the object of your vengeance.  It's related to the word 원수 _weonsu_, which is a person or group who has done wrong to you to the point that your harbor a grudge.

There was a critically acclaimed Korean film a few years ago titled '복수는 나의 것' _Boksuneun naui geot _(Vengeance is mine), known internationally as _Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance_, that took satisfaction of grudges as its central theme.


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian*: bosszú [the origin is of Persian; the word sounds really scary], strange enough Japanese say boksu. origin?


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## Rallino

*Turkish:* İntikam (Upper-case _*i *_also has a dot in Turkish.)


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## iAnna

ThomasK said:


> Is there a difference between both, iAnna ?



Hämnd is the Swedish word for revenge.
Vendetta is a loan word for feud (blodshämnd).


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*: _kosto_


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: отмъщение (otmasht*e*nie, of Slavic origin) and реванш (rev*a*nsh, of French origin, mainly in sports contexts and sometimes in other contexts in a way like French/ English revenge). Another interesting Slavic word is Bulgarian възмездие/ Russian возмездие, which has undergone semantic change from "remuneration" to "revenge" in modern language.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
-Εκδίκηση (ek'ðicisi, _f._)-->revenge. It's a Hellenistic word (ἐκδίκησις-ek'ðicēsis, _f._) which meant "legal remedy". Today it means "revenge". The verb is «εκδικούμαι» (ekði'kume)-->"to avenge", from the Hellenistic «ἐκδικέω/ἐκδικῶ» (ekði'ceō [uncontracted]/ekði'kō [contracted])-->"to decide a case".
-Μνησικακία (mnisika'cia, _f._)-->remembrance of wrongs. It's a Hellenistic word (mnēsika'cia, _f._), with the same meaning. The verb is «μνησικακώ» (mnisika'ko)-->"to bear malice" (from the Hellenistic «μνησικακέω/μνησικακῶ»-mnēsika'ceō [uncontracted]/mnēsika'kō [contracted]).
Someone who is «μνησίκακος» (mni'sikakos, _m._), «μνησίκακη» (mni'sikaci, _f._), always bears a grudge for past malice with the purpose of revenge.
-Αντεκδίκηση (andek'ðicisi, _f._)-->feud, vendetta. The verb is «αντεκδικούμαι» (andekði'kume). It was constructed a couple of centuries ago (preposition «ἀντὶ-»-->"against, opposite, instead of" + «εκδίκηση») to describe the Cretan & Maniot vendetta (both Crete & Mani remain partly closed societies, with the traditional big families playing an important role. It takes no more than a family to perceive itself to have been attacked, and the vendetta starts).   
Colloquially the Italian loanword «βεντέτα» (_vendetta_) for the blood feud, is used.

[c] is a voiceless palatal plosive


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## ThomasK

iAnna said:


> Hämnd is the Swedish word for revenge.
> Vendetta is a loan word for feud (blodshämnd).


 
This is interesting again: _blodshämnd_ sounds like Dutch _*bloedschande*_, like the English _shame,_ but I would think our bloedschande could lead to (eternal) revenge, i.e. feud. I think it is a scandal based on a blood, or it is a scandal, passed on as the basis of a feud 'by the blood'.


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## ThomasK

Orlin said:


> Bulgarian:
> Another interesting Slavic word is Bulgarian възмездие/ Russian возмездие, which has undergone semantic change from "remuneration" to "revenge" in modern language.


 
I suppose it is retaliation especially. That reminds me of *'vergelding'* in Dutch, which might be something like *'paying back'* (*geld* = money)... Anyone who recognizes that metaphor in his/ her language? It might be the origin of _retaliation_ as well: 
_



retaliare "pay back in kind," from re- "back" + L. talio "exaction of payment in kind,"
		
Click to expand...

_


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## ThomasK

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek:
> -Εκδίκηση (ek'ðicisi, _f._)-->revenge. It's a Hellenistic word (κδίκησις-ek'ðicēsis, _f._) which meant "legal remedy". Today it means "revenge". The verb is «εκδικούμαι» (ekði'kume)-->"to avenge", from the Hellenistic «ἐκδικέω/ἐκδικῶ» (ekði'ceō [uncontracted]/ekði'kō [contracted])-->"to decide a case".


 
I am just thinking of something I learnt at school long time ago, Apmoy: isn't 'δικἐ' justice in Greek ? So something like 'to act out justice'?


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## Orlin

ThomasK said:


> I suppose it is retaliation especially. That reminds me of 'vergelding' in Dutch, which might be something like 'paying back'... Anyone who recognizes that metaphor in his/ her language?


 
Yes, it is! The meaning was "paying back" preseved in derivatives like възмезден, възмездя/возмездный, возмездить and transformed metaphorically to what it is now.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> I am just thinking of something I learnt at school long time ago, Apmoy: isn't 'δικἐ' justice in Greek ? So something like 'to act out justice'?


Yes, one could say that. Or to act outside proper trial? (Δίκη, 'ðikē, _f._ in ancient Greek described both justice & trial)


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## Orlin

Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian: osveta.


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## Grop

Outsider said:


> French: vengeance.



This, or _revanche_. Which has a weaker meaning and is generally used in sport.


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## ThomasK

Is there a link between *ozweta* and Polish _*odwet*_ ? I read that *zemsta* is more common. Do you have anything similar in B/C/S ?


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## Outsider

Grop said:


> This, or _revanche_. Which has a weaker meaning and is generally used in sport.


I think that would be called a rematch in English...


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## vandaman

in Macedonian is одмазда /odmazda/ which I believe is of Salvic origin  /od mzda/ which means paying money back


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## phosphore

It is used in Serbian too.


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## mataripis

*Tagalog: Ganti   * Dumaget: e Bilos


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