different between vicious vs ghastly

English

Alternative forms

• vitious (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English vicious, from Anglo-Norman vicious, (modern French vicieux), from Latin viti?sus, from vitium (“fault, vice”). Equivalent to vice +? -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?v???s/
• Rhymes: -???s

Adjective

vicious (comparative viciouser or more vicious, superlative viciousest or most vicious)

1. Violent, destructive and cruel.
2. Savage and aggressive.
3. (archaic) Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
   • , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.195:

     We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious.

Synonyms

• scathy

Derived terms

• vicious circle

Related terms

• See vice#Related_terms

Translations

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman vicious, from Latin viti?sus; equivalent to vice +? -ous.

Alternative forms

• viciows, vicius, vycious, vycyus, vicyous, vecyous, vysyous, vycios, vycyous, vicyows

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /visi?u?s/, /vis?ju?s/, /?visjus/

Adjective

vicious (plural and weak singular viciouse)

1. Iniquitous, sinful, wicked (often in a way that causes harm or vice to/in others)
2. (rare) Lacking purity or cleanness; spoiled or defiled.
3. (rare) Inaccurate, modified, or debased; of substandard quality.
4. (rare) Injurious, dangerous; causing serious harm.

Descendants

• English: vicious
• Scots: veecious

References

• “vici?us, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-01.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin viti?sus;

Adjective

vicious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular viciouse)

1. vicious; malicious
2. defective; not capable of functioning

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: vicious, viciows, vicius, vycious, vycyus, vicyous, vecyous, vysyous, vycios, vycyous, vicyows
  • English: vicious
  • Scots: veecious

References

• vicios on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

English

Etymology

From a conflation of a derivation of Old English g?stan (“to torment, frighten”) with the suffix -lic, and ghostly (which was also spelt "gastlich" in Middle English). Equivalent to ghast/gast + -ly. Spelling with 'gh' developed 16th century due to the conflation.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????s(t).li/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??æs(t).li/

Adjective

ghastly (comparative ghastlier, superlative ghastliest)

1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

     Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.
2. Horrifyingly shocking.
3. Extremely bad.

Synonyms

• (sickly pale): See also Thesaurus:pallid
• (horrifyingly shocking): lurid

Translations

Adverb

ghastly (not comparable)

1. In a ghastly manner.
   • 1921, William Dudley Pelley, The Fog: A Novel, page 196:

     Johnathan's lips moved ghastly before his voice would come. "So I'm crazy, am I? And if I choose to murder you, what would you do?"