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vice

noun
/vaɪs/UK

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English vice, from Old French vice, from Latin vitium (“fault or blemish”). Displaced native Old English unþēaw.

  1. derived from vitium
  2. derived from vice
  3. inherited from vice

Definitions

  1. Bad or immoral behaviour. (Especially often, a habit that harms oneself or others)

    • Pride is a vice, not a virtue.
    • Smoking was a vice Sally picked up in high school.
    • Shepard: I wear a lot of hats, Mr. Vargas. Some days I shut down criminals. Some days I defuse nukes. Some days I like to enjoy private vices. You understand me?

  2. Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to weapons, prostitution,…

    Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to weapons, prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.

  3. Clipping of vice squad.

  4. ›+ 10 more definitions

    1. A defect in the temper or behaviour of a horse, such as to make the animal dangerous, to…

      A defect in the temper or behaviour of a horse, such as to make the animal dangerous, to injure its health, or to diminish its usefulness.

    2. Alternative spelling of vise (“mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping”).

    3. A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.

    4. A winding or spiral staircase.

    5. A grip or grasp.

      • Fang. If I but fiſt him once: if he come but within my Vice.

    6. Alternative spelling of vise (“to hold or squeeze with a vice”).

      • Camillo. As he had ſeen’t, or beene an Instrument / To vice you to't, that you haue toucht his Queene / Forbiddenly.

    7. in place of

      in place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank

      • vice president
      • vice admiral

    8. Instead of

      Instead of; in place of; versus.

      • He was gardener and out-door man, vice Upton, resigned.
      • A very small cab-boy, vice Stoopid retired, swung on behind Foker's vehicle; knock-kneed and in the tightest leather breeches.

    9. One who acts in place of a superior.

      • c. 1850s-1870s, Edward Minister and Son, The Gazette of Fashion and Cutting-Room Companion The health of the Vice was proposed in appropriate language; in replying, Mr. Marriott thanked the company […]

    10. A surname.

The neighborhood

Derived

by vice of, inherent vice, sapphic vice, secret vice, solitary vice, stable vice, vice clause, vice girl, vice squad

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at vice. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01vice02crimes03crime04violation05violated06abused07profligately08profligate

A definitional loop anchored at vice. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at vice

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA