vicious

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman vicious, Old French vicious (modern French vicieux), from Latin vitiōsus, from vitium (“fault, vice”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈvɪʃəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃəs

Adjective

vicious (comparative viciouser or more vicious, superlative viciousest or most vicious)

1. Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Folio Society 2006, vol. 1 p. 195:

     We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious.

2. Evil, immoral or depraved.
3. Violent, destructive and cruel.
4. Savage and aggressive.
   • 1922, Michael Arlen, chapter 2/9/1, “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days^[1]:

     He had always been remarkably immune from such little ailments, and had only once in his life been ill, of a vicious pneumonia long ago at school. He hadn't the faintest idea what to with a cold in the head, he just took quinine and continued to blow his nose.

Derived terms

• vicious circle

Related terms

• vice
• vitiate

Translations

pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity

• Czech: neřestný (cs)
• German: böse (de), boshaft (de), übel (de)

• Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐍃 (unmanariggws)
• Turkish: kötü (tr), muzır (tr)

evil, immoral, or depraved

• Finnish: paheellinen (fi)
• German: unmoralisch (de)

• Turkish: ahlaksız (tr)

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Old French

Adjective

vicious m

1. vicious; malicious
2. defective; not capable of functioning

Declension

  Declension of vicious  

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	vicious	viciouse	vicious
	Oblique	vicious	viciouse	vicious
Plural	Subject	vicious	viciouses	vicious
	Oblique	vicious	viciouses	vicious

References

• vicios on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub