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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
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Vici(o)us, Viti(o)us, adj. Also: vicious(s)e, -ios, wici(o)us(s)e, -yousse, vycyows, wycyous, wyciousse, vitiouse, witius, vyt-, wytyows, visious, vecious. [ME and e.m.E. vecyous (c1340), vicios (Wyclif), vicious (Chaucer), vitius (c1400), vycyous (Lydgate), vitious (1575), OF vicious, -ieus, L. vitiōsus.]

1. Of a person: Given to immoral, sinful or evil behaviour; wicked or malicious in nature, behaviour or opinion. Also absol. c1420 Wynt. v 376.
He wes Ill wycyous [C. viciousse], full off wykytnes, Off gret lust and off lychory
c1420 Wynt. v 930.
Vycyows [C. wicyousse]
c1420 Wynt. vi 1370.
Wytyows [C. wyciousse]
1456 Hay II 40/31, 35.
Na commone viciouse hurdomare hasartour … and all outrageus commoun vicius men, ar nocht to be ressavit to the ordre of knychthede
1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 2003.
Vertew … makis folk perfite and glorious, It makis sanctis of pepill vitious
c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 19/105.
I knaw me vicius, Lord, and rycht culpabill In aithis, swering, lessingis [etc.]
1531 Bell. Boece I cix.
Leir kingis to hait all peple vitius [M. wicious]
1531 Bell. Boece II 121.
He … tuke plesoure of nane bot of scudlaris insaciabill drunkettis and sic vicius and detestabil personis
1533 Boece 78a.
He repudiat the quene Agasia … cawsing hir … be prostitute and defoulit be his vicios lownys
c1500-50 Brevis Cronica 324.
Eugeny the Fourt, ane vicious tyrane
c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3314 (see 2 (c) below). 1562 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 8.
All pandarousse, quhilkis ar perswadaris of madynnis or mennis viffis to committ hwirdom, with witius [pr. witins] huirmongeris and harlottis, to be baneist siclik
1562-3 Winȝet I 44/1.
The clergie … [are] sa ignorant or vitious, or baith and alsua sclanderous, that thay are vnworthie the name of pastores
1583 Crail B. Ct. 23 April.
He is ane commone sklanderar visious and ewill spekar
1622-6 Bisset II 170/29.
Cullenus … wes ane vicius and ane effeminate prince subiect to licherie and luxuriousnes
1661 Glasgow B. Rec. II 463.
William Watsoune, candlemaker, hes caried himselfe most baislie heirtofoir many and divers wayes, and will nowayes amend his lyfe but proves alwayes a bad exemple to all vitious livers
1670 Sc. N. & Q. 2 Ser. II 42.
[The apprentice must not] keep companie with anij vitius persons under the paine of ane hundred pounds Scots money
1695 J. M. Beale Fife Schools 233.
[The schoolmaster] shall forbear to keep company with profane or vain loose livers drunkards or swearers, or such as are vitious
absol. c1420 Wynt. vii 3581.
He luwyd all men that [war] wertuows; He lathyd and chastyd [al] vytyows [C. wiciousse]
1536 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 18.
And by all meanes compell and reproue the fautie and vicious
1622-6 Bisset II 181/8.
Ay haittand and abhorrand the wicked and vicius all his dais

2. Of (a way of) life, manner of behaviour, action, opinion, etc.: Morally wrong; malicious; evil, wicked; corrupt, depraved. b. Of speech, words, etc.: Malicious or spiteful, liable to cause hurt or offence.(a) c1420 Ratis R. 32.
The euil is vicious fals levinge
c1420 Ratis R. 1798.
To knawinge Be-twene vertew and vicious thinge
c1515 Asl. MS II 246/21.
Grant me laseire or I de & space All vicious lyf out of my saull to race
1531 Bell. Boece (M) I 74.
This king … sufferit nane to dres the public materis bot sa mony as fauorit his corruppit maneris, and cowth induce him to new kynde of vicious lustis
a1578 Pitsc. I 47/17.
James … thinkand it was wicious [I. wickitnis] to denude the auld herietaig of ane house
1614 P. Forbes Defence Lawful Min. Ref. Ch. 29.
It is, first, a vicious argumentation and, iuxt, a contumelious blasphemie against the truth of God
(b) 1490 Irland Mir. III 54/10.
The conuersioun plesaunce and dilectacioun tane in the creatur and vicius disposicioun and inclinacioun causit thar by to sic euill operacioun is the secund thing in the dedly and mortale syn
c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 107/1.
In vice most vicius [M. vitius] he excellis, That with the vice of tressone mellis
1562 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 4.
The manifold mercies and lang sufferans of the Lord, geving tham sa lang space to repent and amend thair wicius leving
a1568 Bann. MS 32a/7.
O blind lust I inquyre In vicius vanite wilt thow ȝit persewyr
1584 Melvill 214.
A bischope … to whom I can nocht giff a vicius epithet mair nor another, and I am sure a thowsand wald nocht express his vyces
(c) a1570-86 Kennedy in Maitl. F. 234/19.
O rekles ȝouthe hie het and vitious O halie age fulfillit with honour
c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3310.
That prince … Conuersit with wemen … And clothit hym in thare arraye, … So, in huredome and harlatrye … Thus leuit he … Quhen to the Peirsis, … Reportit wer his vitious dedis, … Thay did conclude, … Thay wald nocht suffer for tyll ryng Abufe thame sic ane vitious kyng
1567 G. Ball. 27.
Tyme thair is In age for till amend my mis, And from my vitious lyfe conuert
1612 Jurid. Rev. X 467.
Your vitious and filthie harlottrie
(d) 1535 Stewart 33059 heading.
How Donaldus … wes crownit King of Scottis, and of his vitius lyfe
c1590 J. Stewart 32/96.
Vith nigromance heirfoir he did conspire To satisfie his vitius vilan deid
(e) 1528 Lynd. Dreme 958.
To schaw thare reif, thift, murthour, and mischeif, And vecious workis, it wald infect the air
b. 1456 Hay II 41/32.
Na he [sc. a squire about to receive the order of knighthood] suld nouthir here na speke vicious spech, na trompouris, na janglouris, for that is lak to the ordre
c1490 Porteous Noblenes 172/1 (A).
Inclinand thair hertis to vicious and ewill sayng
c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 213/38.
Thair vicious wordis and vanite, Thair tratling tungis that all furth temis

3. law. a. Of goods: Illegal, stolen. b. Of a document: Null and void. c. Of persons: Having committed an offence. d. Of possession of property: Unlawful, unwarranted, not fulfilling legal requirements.a. 1561 Reg. Privy C. I 174.
Ony actioun contra me … never can have apperance without thai wald libell that I ressavit the gudis libellit immediatlie fra the saidis cantis eftir the spoliatioun thairof, knawing the same to be spulyeit and vicious
b. c1575 Balfour Pract. 409.
Ane decrete gevin aganis him that is deceist … is null … and thairfoir na persoun may be callit, as succedand in the vice of him aganis quhom the decrete is gevin; because na possessioun can be vitious in respect of ony decrete quhilk is null in the self
?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. III 10.
The said proclamatione was vitiouse
c. 1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. i xvii 10.
I find that by the civil law such bastards as were born in adultery, or incest … could neither succed to their vitious parents, nor were they capable of any thing by their parents testament
1684 Fountainhall Decis. I 307.
The Lords having … found the prentice's … taking away his master's goods without his consent, proven … they suspended the letters against the captain … viz. as to the taking back the boy … in regard the boy is proven to be vitious, so that the master could not safely receive him
d. 1663 M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. II 319.
Whatever possession the said L. G. Ruthen their author had, it was violent, at the least vicious, because that his author had obtained decreet of removing from the said lands

e. Vitious intromission, ‘The term vitious intromission is applied exclusively to the heir’s unwarrantable intromission with the moveable estate of the ancestor;' Bell Dict. Law Scotl. s.v. Intromission. f. Vitious intromitter, one who carries out such interference.e. 1630 M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. I 316.
The gift of her husband's escheat could not purge her vicious intromission before the gift
1661 Rothesay B. Rec. 68.
The said Johne Gray heretour thairof … hes maid vitious intromissioune withe the mailles fermes cropes and dewties thairoff, labouret manuret and joyset and possessed the samyn wrongously
1678 Mackenzie Laws & C. i xix 12.
If it be proved that he was actually denuded, that will liberat him from vitious intromission
f. 1643 Perth Hammermen lxxvi.
[Andrew is represented as saying … that he was] a vicious intromittor
1679 Fountainhall Decis. I 32.
William was not vitious intrometter with the eighth part of the ship libelled, because he had right to it by a disposition, which purges vitious intromission
1681 M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. II 9.
My Lord Rollo, being pursued as vitious intromittor with his father's robes and best horse, at the riding of the parliament; he alleged, that the goods … fell under escheat … which ought to purge the vitiosity
1696 Acts X 61/1.
Many times the nearest of kin and others doth intromet with the moveables of persons deceist without confirmation … when they come to be pursued at the instance of any of the creditors for being lyable to the defuncts debt as vitious intromettors they [etc.]

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"Vicius adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 29 Mar 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/vicious>

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