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vendetta |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.07 sec. |
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vendetta (vĕndĕt`ə) [Ital.,=vengeance], feud between members of two kinship groups to avenge a wrong done to a relative. Although the term originated in Corsica, the custom has also been practiced in other parts of Italy, in other European countries, and among the Arabs. It generally reflects a society where the family is the only social unit with authority or where there is no centralized government to compel order. After a society attains cohesion and will no longer tolerate private vengeance, composition composition, in ancient and medieval law, a sum of money paid by a guilty party as satisfaction to the family of the person who was injured or killed. Failure to make the payment might justify retaliation in kind against the offender or his family. ..... Click the link for more information. for offenses may be compelled. In time the state itself punishes antisocial acts, and a system of criminal law criminal law, the branch of law that defines crimes, treats of their nature, and provides for their punishment. A tort is a civil wrong committed against an individual; a crime, on the other hand, is regarded as an offense committed against the public, even though ..... Click the link for more information. takes form. The vendetta may prevail also where the government is feared or distrusted to such an extent that private justice is considered more equitable. The obligation to carry on the vendetta usually rests primarily on the male who is next of kin to the wronged person. Among some peoples, vengeance may be taken on any member of the group of the person who has done the wrong. The most striking form of the vendetta is the blood feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta ) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. ..... Click the link for more information. , or the taking of a life for a life. While the vendetta is almost universally proscribed by law, it persists in areas that are remote or lack trusted police protection. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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And as the other looked up innocently he took aim at the forehead and squared the old vendetta account so neatly that, according to Dominic, the dead man continued to sit with the bowl of broth on his knees and the piece of bread in his hand. "The tradition of the Vendetta will long prevent the reign of law in Corsica," he added, as if speaking to himself. The vendetta might conceivably date back to the man's first marriage, and the ring be taken for some such reason. |
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