Etymology Explorer › Middle EnglishWhere does “vicious” come from? vicious (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman vicious, from Latin vitiōsus, from Latin vitium, from Proto-Indo-European wi-tio-, from Proto-Indo-European wei — guilt, vice, fault.
vicious (Middle English): Iniquitous, sinful, wicked; Lacking purity or...
Definitions Iniquitous, sinful, wicked; Lacking purity or... Ancestry of “vicious”, step by step Step Language Word Meaning 1 Anglo-Norman vicious vicious; malicious; defective; not capable of... 2 Latin vitiōsus full of faults or defects; faulty, defective, bad, corrupt 3 Latin vitium flaw, defect, blemish, error, fault; vice; crime 4 Proto-Indo-European wi-tio- — 5 Proto-Indo-European wei guilt, vice, fault
Words derived from “vicious”