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Origin and history of vicious

vicious(adj.)

mid-14c., of habit or practice, "immoral, unwholesome, characterized by or of the nature of vice, pernicious, harmful;" late 14c., of persons, "addicted to vice or immorality, habitually transgressing moral law;" of a text, "erroneous, corrupt," from Anglo-French vicious, Old French vicios "wicked, cunning, underhand; defective, illegal" (Modern French vicieux) and directly from Latin vitiosus (Medieval Latin vicious) "faulty, full of faults, defective, corrupt; wicked, depraved," from vitium "fault" (see vice (n.1)).

In reference to animals, "inclined to be savage or dangerous," it is recorded by 1690s, especially of horses not well broken or trained. In reference to persons, writings, the sense of "full of spite, bitter, severe" is attested by 1825, originally colloquial.

In law, "marred by some inherent fault" (late 14c.). Hence also this sense in logic, "impaired or spoiled by some fault or blemish" (c. 1600), as in vicious circle in reasoning (1650s, Latin circulus vitiosus), which by 1839 was used in a general sense of "situation in which action and reaction intensify one another." Related: Viciously (mid-14c., "sinfully"); viciousness.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to vicious

vice(n.1)

c. 1300, "moral fault, wickedness;" mid-14c. in reference to a specific individual sin; from Old French vice "fault, failing, defect, irregularity, misdemeanor" (12c.), from Latin vitium "defect, offense, blemish, imperfection," in both physical and moral senses (in Medieval Latin also vicium; source also of Italian vezzo "usage, entertainment"), which is of uncertain origin. De Vaan supports origin in a PIE *(d)ui-tio- "apart, wrong." In Old French, the seven deadly sins were les set vices.

The looser sense of "flaw in someone's personality or manner, bad habit, unattractive behavior" is by late 14c. Vice squad "special police unit targeting prostitution, narcotics, gambling, etc.," is attested by 1905, when New York City introduced the first so called; some editors attempted to clarify it to anti-vice squad.

Horace and Aristotle have already spoken to us about the virtues of their forefathers and the vices of their own times, and through the centuries, authors have talked the same way. If all this were true, we would be bears today. [Montesquieu, "Pensées"]
viciosity(n.)

also vitiosity, "moral depravity," c. 1600, from Latin vitiosus "faulty" (see vicious). Viciousness is attested from mid-15c.

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