Where does “viciously” come from?
viciously (Middle English) comes from Middle English vicious, from Anglo-Norman vicious, from Latin vitiōsus, from Latin vitium, from Proto-Indo-European wi-tio-, from Proto-Indo-European wei — guilt, vice, fault.
viciously (Middle English): sinfully, evilly
Definitions
- sinfully, evilly
Ancestry of “viciously”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vicious | Iniquitous, sinful, wicked; Lacking purity or... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | vicious | vicious; malicious; defective; not capable of... |
| 3 | Latin | vitiōsus | full of faults or defects; faulty, defective, bad, corrupt |
| 4 | Latin | vitium | flaw, defect, blemish, error, fault; vice; crime |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wi-tio- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wei | guilt, vice, fault |