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1
n.

[F., from L. vitium.]

1. A defect; a fault; an error; a blemish; an imperfection; as, the vices of a political constitution; the vices of a horse.

Withouten vice of syllable or letter.
Chaucer.

Mark the vice of the procedure.
Sir W. Hamilton.

2. A moral fault or failing; especially, immoral conduct or habit, as in the indulgence of degrading appetites; customary deviation in a single respect, or in general, from a right standard, implying a defect of natural character, or the result of training and habits; a harmful custom; immorality; depravity; wickedness; as, a life of vice; the vice of intemperance.

I do confess the vices of my blood.
Shak.

Ungoverned appetite . . . a brutish vice.
Milton.

When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway,
The post of honor is a private station.
Addison.

3. The buffoon of the old English moralities, or moral dramas, having the name sometimes of one vice, sometimes of another, or of Vice itself; -- called also Iniquity.

Note: This character was grotesquely dressed in a cap with ass's ears, and was armed with a dagger of lath: one of his chief employments was to make sport with the Devil, leaping on his back, and belaboring him with the dagger of lath till he made him roar. The Devil, however, always carried him off in the end. Nares.

How like you the Vice in the play?
. . . I would not give a rush for a Vice that has not a wooden dagger to snap at everybody.
B. Jonson.

Syn. -- Crime; sin; iniquity; fault. See Crime.

Vice2
n.

[See Vise.]

1. (Mech.) A kind of instrument for holding work, as in filing. Same as Vise.

2. A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements. [Written also vise.]

3. A gripe or grasp. [Obs.] Shak.

Vice
v. t.

[imp. & p. p. Viced ; p. pr. & vb. n. Vicing .]
To hold or squeeze with a vice, or as if with a vice. Shak.

The coachman's hand was viced between his upper and lower thigh.
De Quincey.

Vi·ce
prep.

[L., abl. of vicis change, turn. See Vicarious.]
In the place of; in the stead; as, A. B. was appointed postmaster vice C. D. resigned.

Vice
a.

[Cf. F. vice-. See Vice, prep.]
Denoting one who in certain cases may assume the office or duties of a superior; designating an officer or an office that is second in rank or authority; as, vice president; vice agent; vice consul, etc.

Vice admiral. [Cf. F. vice-amiral.]
(a) An officer holding rank next below an admiral. By the existing laws, the rank of admiral and vice admiral in the United States Navy will cease at the death of the present incumbents. (b) A civil officer, in Great Britain, appointed by the lords commissioners of the admiralty for exercising admiralty jurisdiction within their respective districts. -- Vice admiralty, the office of a vice admiral. -- Vice-admiralty court, a court with admiralty jurisdiction, established by authority of Parliament in British possessions beyond the seas. Abbott. -- Vice chamberlain, an officer in court next in rank to the lord chamberlain. [Eng.] -- Vice chancellor. (a) (Law) An officer next in rank to a chancellor. (b) An officer in a university, chosen to perform certain duties, as the conferring of degrees, in the absence of the chancellor. (c) (R. C. Ch.) The cardinal at the head of the Roman Chancery. -- Vice consul [cf. F. vice-consul], a subordinate officer, authorized to exercise consular functions in some particular part of a district controlled by a consul. -- Vice king, one who acts in the place of a king; a viceroy. -- Vice legate [cf. F. vice-légat], a legate second in rank to, or acting in place of, another legate. -- Vice presidency, the office of vice president. -- Vice president [cf. F. vice-président], an officer next in rank below a president.


 
 
Antonyms: vice

n

Definition: bad habit, weakness; sin
Antonyms: good point, propriety, strength, virtue


 

n. informal short for vice admiral, etc.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

 

Vice, the, a stock character in medieval morality plays; he is a cynical kind of fool in the service of the Devil, and tries to tempt others in a comical but often sinister manner. The Vice is believed to be the ancestor of some later dramatic villains like Shakespeare's Iago, and of some more comic characters like his Falstaff.

 

vis, vyse

Spiral stair constructed round a central newel or pier.

 

The classic discussion is Book 7 of Aristotle's Nicomachaean Ethics, in which he distinguishes incontinence from intemperance. Incontinent people are impetuous, or weak. They know what they should do, but succumb to temptation, being carried away by their passions. Intemperate people on the other hand do wrong deliberately. They have an incorrect notion of the proper ends of human action. They are less prone to remorse, and less curable, than incontinent ones. See also virtue.

 
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A fault, flaw, defect, or imperfection. Immoral conduct, practice, or habit.

In civil law, redhibitory vices are defects or flaws in the subject matter of a sale that entitle the buyer to return the item and recover the purchase price.

A vice crime is any type of immoral and illegal activity, such as prostitution, the sale of drugs and narcotics, and gambling.

 

Habitual abnormal behavior of a destructive kind. It is most common in horses, pigs and chickens but may occur in any species if the animals are kept in confined spaces. See crib-biting, weaving, pica, tail biting, ear sucking, toe picking.

 
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - A specific form of evildoing; Moral weakness.

pronunciation Virtue consists, not in abstaining from vice, but in not desiring it. — George Bernard Shaw, Source: Man and Superman

 

Quotes:

"Alas, human vices, however horrible one might imagine them to be, contain the proof (were it only in their infinite expansion) of man's longing for the infinite; but it is a longing that often takes the wrong route. It is my belief that the reason behind all culpable excesses lies in this depravation of the sense of the infinite." - Charles Baudelaire

"There are men so incorrigibly lazy that no inducement that you can offer will tempt them to work; so eaten up by vice that virtue is abhorrent to them, and so inveterately dishonest that theft is to them a master passion. When a human being has reached that stage, there is only one course that can be rationally pursued. Sorrowfully, but remorselessly, it must be recognized that he has become lunatic, morally demented, incapable of self-government, and that upon him, therefore, must be passed the sentence of permanent seclusion from a world in which he is not fit to be at large." - William Booth

"The vices we scoff at in others, laugh at us within ourselves." - Thomas Edward Brown

"Tobacco and alcohol, delicious fathers of abiding friendships and fertile reveries." - Luis Bunuel

"The function of vice is to keep virtue within reasonable bounds." - Samuel Butler

"Half the vices which the world condemns most loudly have seeds of good in them and require moderated use rather than total abstinence." - Samuel Butler

See more famous quotes about Vice

 
Wikipedia: vice


Vice is a practice or habit that is considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in the associated society. Vice can also refer to conduct that is seen as depraved or degrading such as incest or pedophilia. The term can also be used to refer to a particular form of immoral conduct as in 'drug abuse is a vice'. In more minor usages, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synomyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness and corruption. The modern English term that best captures its original meaning is the word vicious, which means "full of vice." In this sense, the word vice comes from the Latin word vitium, meaning "failing or defect". Vice is the opposite of virtue.

Vice is also a generic legal term for criminal offenses involving prostitution, lewdness, lasciviousness, and obscenity. Illegal forms of gambling are also often included as a vice in law enforcement departments that deal with vice as a crime.

Overview of religious views on vice

One way of organizing the vices is as the corruption of the virtues. A virtue can be corrupted by nonuse, misuse, or overuse. Thus the cardinal vices would be lust (nonuse of temperance), cowardice (nonuse of courage), folly (misuse of a virtue, opposite of wisdom), and venality (nonuse of justice). See: The four virtues.

The Christian vices

Christians believe there are two kinds of vice: those which originate with the physical organism, as perverse instincts, such as lust; and those which originate with false idolatry in the spiritual realm . The first kind, although sinful, are believed to be less serious than the second. Some vices recognized as spiritual by Christians are blasphemy (holiness betrayed), apostasy (faith betrayed), despair (hope betrayed), hatred (love betrayed), and indifference (scripturally, a "hardened heart"). Christian theologians have reasoned that the most destructive vice equates to a certain type of Pride or the complete idolatry of the self. It is argued that through this vice, which is essentially competitive, all the worst evil comes into being. In Judeo-Christian creeds it led to the fall of man originally, and as a purely diabolical spiritual vice it outweighs anything else often condemned by The Church.

Roman Catholic teachings concerning vices

The Roman Catholic Church distinguishes between vice, which is a habit inclining one to sin, and the sin itself, which is an individual morally wrong act. (Note that in Roman Catholicism, the word sin also refers to the state which befalls one upon committing a morally wrong act; in this section, the word will always mean the sinful act). It is the sin, and not the vice, which deprives one of God's sanctifying grace and makes one deserving of God's punishment. St. Thomas Aquinas therefore taught that "absolutely speaking, the sin surpasses the vice in wickedness" [1]. On the other hand, even after a person's sins have been forgiven, the underlying habit, the vice, may remain. Just as vice was created in the first place by repeatedly yielding to the temptation to sin, so vice may be removed only by repeatedly resisting temptation and performing virtuous acts; the more entrenched the vice, the more time and effort needed to remove it. St. Thomas Aquinas says that following rehabilitation and the acquisition of virtues, the vice does not persist as a habit, but rather as a mere disposition, and one that is in the process of being destroyed.

Examples of vices

Some vices recognized in various Western cultures of the world include:

Popular usage

The term vice is also popularly applied to various activities considered immoral by some; a list of these might include the use of alcohol and other recreational drugs, gambling, smoking, recklessness, cheating, lying, selfishness. It is also used in reference to police vice units who prosecute crimes associated with these activities. Often, vice particularly designates a failure to comply with the sexual mores of the time and place such as sexual promiscuity.

Behaviors or attitudes going against the established virtues of the culture may also be called vices: for instance, effeminacy is considered a vice in a culture espousing masculinity as an essential element of the character of males.

See also

Bibliography

  • Virtues and Vices, Aristotle, trans. H. Rackman, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, l992. Vol #285.

Sources


 
Translations: Translations for: Vice

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - last, umoralitet, fejl, usædelighed

idioms:

  • vice ring    prostitutionsliga
  • vice squad    sædelighedsafdelingen

2.
n. - skruestik

3.
prep. - vice-, stedfortrædende

idioms:

  • vice president    vicedirektør, vicepræsident

4.
n. - vice

5.

idioms:

  • vice versa    omvendt

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontucht, ondeugd, bankschroef, slechtheid, zwakte, gebrek/smet, lichamelijke afwijking, pias, afwijkend gedrag in huisdier, vice-, in plaats van, liever dan, (in een bankschroef) vastzetten (ook figuurlijk)

Français (French)
1.
n. - vice, faiblesse

idioms:

  • vice ring    milieu, pègre
  • vice squad    brigade des m¯urs

2.
n. - (Tech) étau

3.
prep. - à la place de, en remplacement de

idioms:

  • vice president    vice-président

4.
n. - diminutif de vice-président/vice-amiral etc

5.

idioms:

  • vice versa    vice versa

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Laster, Fehler, Unart

idioms:

  • vice ring    Verbrecherbande, die illegale Prostitution organisiert
  • vice squad    Sittenpolizei

2.
n. - Schraubstock

3.
prep. - an Stelle von

idioms:

  • vice president    Vizepräsident

4.
n. - (ugs.) Vize

5.

idioms:

  • vice versa    umgekehrt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - διαστροφή, βίτσιο, ακολασία, διαφθορά, μέγγενη, αμάρτημα, ελάττωμα, κουσούρι
v. - σφίγγω
prep. - αντί (του), υπό
pref. - αντί-, υπό-

idioms:

  • vice president    αντιπρόεδρος
  • vice ring    οργάνωση/δίκτυο πορνείας
  • vice squad    (αστυνομική) Υπηρεσία/Τμήμα Ηθών
  • vice versa    (και) αντιστρόφως, και τανάπαλιν

Italiano (Italian)
difetto, vizio, morsa

idioms:

  • vice president    vicepresidente
  • vice ring    banda criminale
  • vice squad    la buoncostume
  • vice versa    viceversa

Português (Portuguese)
n. - vício (m), imoralidade (f), vice- (título) (coloq.)
v. - prender no torno
prep. - em vez de
pref. - vice

idioms:

  • vice president    vice-presidente
  • vice ring    quadrilha
  • vice squad    delegacia de costumes
  • vice versa    vice-versa

Русский (Russian)
порок, недостаток, безнравственность, тиски

idioms:

  • vice president    вице-президент
  • vice ring    группа преступников, контролирующих работу проституток
  • vice squad    подразделение полиции,зани- мающееся проститутками,торговцами наркотиками
  • vice versa    наоборот

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - vicio, defecto, comportamiento inmoral

idioms:

  • vice ring    red de corrupción
  • vice squad    brigada contra el vicio

2.
n. - torno o tornillo de banco

3.
prep. - como sustituto de, en lugar de, en vez de

idioms:

  • vice president    vicepresidente

4.
n. - vicepresidente, vicealmirante

5.

idioms:

  • vice versa    viceversa

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - last, fel, olat, skruvstäd
v. - sätta i ett skruvstäd
prep. - i stället för
pref. - vice

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
1. 恶习, 坏脾气, 恶行

idioms:

  • vice president    副董事长, 副院长, 副行长
  • vice ring    卖淫团体
  • vice squad    刑警队
  • vice versa    反之亦然

2. 恶习, 坏脾气, 恶行

3. 代替

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 惡習, 壞脾氣, 惡行

idioms:

  • vice president    副董事長, 副院長, 副行長
  • vice ring    賣淫團體
  • vice squad    刑警隊
  • vice versa    反之亦然

2.
n. - 惡習, 壞脾氣, 惡行

3.
prep. - 代替

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 악덕, 결함, 성적 부도덕 행위

2.
n. - 바이스

3.
prep. - ~의 대신으로, ~의 대리로서

4.
n. - vice-president (부대통령), vice-admiral (부제독)

5.

idioms:

  • vice versa    반대로, 역도 또한 같음

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 悪徳, 不道徳, 悪徳行為, 悪習, 欠点, 万力
prep. - 代わりに, 代理として

idioms:

  • vice president    副大統領, 副頭取, 副社長
  • vice ring    やくざ連中
  • vice squad    風俗犯罪取締班
  • vice versa    逆に, 反対に, 逆もまた同じ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فساد, رذيله, نقصان, عيب, حقد, ملقط (حرف جر) بدلا من, خلفا ل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רשעות, שחיתות, הרגל רע, מידה מגונה, פשיעה, חיסרון, פגם‬
n. - ‮מלחציים‬
prep. - ‮ממלא-מקום‬
n. - ‮(קיצור) סגן הנשיא, סגן-אדמירל, סגן יו"ר‬
vice versa - ‮להיפך‬


 
 

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Dictionary. Webster 1913 Dictionary edited by Patrick J. Cassidy  Read more
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