Vindex
/ˈwɪn.dɛks/noun
A defender, avenger, or claimant; in Roman usage, someone who vindicates a right or punishes a wrong.
Did you know?In Roman history, vindex could name a champion of justice or a rebel avenger, and the same root later gave English words like vindicate and revenge-adjacent legal language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to fight, overcome, or conquer”
Latin
Latin
vindex
“a defender, avenger, claimant, or vindicator”
Late Latin
Latin
vindicare
“to lay claim to, defend, free, or avenge”
Old French
Old French
venger
“to avenge”
Middle English
English
vengeance
“revenge or punishment for a wrong”
Modern English
English
vindicate
“to clear from blame or prove justified”