flagitious

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English

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Etymology

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From Old French flagitieux or Latin flāgitiōsus, both ultimately from flāgitium (shameful crime), related to flagrum (whip).[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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flagitious (comparative more flagitious, superlative most flagitious)

  1. (literary) Guilty of terrible crimes; wicked, criminal.
    • 1716 Nov 7th, quoted from 1742, probably Alexander Pope, God's Revenge Against Punning, from Miscellanies, 3rd volume, page 227:
      This young Nobleman was not only a flagitious Punster himself, but was accessary to the Punning of others, by Consent, by Provocation, by Connivance, and by Defence of the Evil committed [] .
    • 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XLIV, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. [], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, [], →OCLC, page 258:
      The duke found his soldiery half disciplined, flagitious, disorderly and inefficient: he rendered them, in his own words, a "perfect organ."
    • 2020 December 31, Kara Swisher, “Goodbye, Twitter Trump! And Other Predictions for 2021”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      As flagitious as he can be, Mr. Trump has been a legitimate news figure and, thus, what he had to say should be aired.
  2. (literary) Extremely brutal or wicked; heinous, monstrous.
    Synonyms: infamous, scandalous, nefarious, iniquitous
    • 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: [] W[illiam] Lewis []; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor [], T[homas] Osborn[e] [], and J[ohn] Graves [], →OCLC, page 30:
      But if in Noble Minds ſome Dregs remain, / Not yet purg'd off, of Spleen and ſow'r Diſdain, / Diſcharge that Rage on more Provoking Crimes, / Nor fear a Dearth on theſe Flagitious Times.
    • 1959, Rex Stout, “Assault on a Brownstone”, in Death Times Three, published 1985, page 186:
      As he entered he boomed: "Monstrous! Flagitious!"

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “flagitious”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.