Word Meanings - VILLAINY - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. The quality or state of being a villain, or villainous; extreme depravity; atrocious wickedness; as, the villainy of the seducer. "Lucre of vilanye." Chaucer. The commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy. Shak. 2. Abusive, reproachful

Additional info about word: VILLAINY

1. The quality or state of being a villain, or villainous; extreme depravity; atrocious wickedness; as, the villainy of the seducer. "Lucre of vilanye." Chaucer. The commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy. Shak. 2. Abusive, reproachful language; discourteous speech; foul talk. He never yet not vileinye ne said In all his life, unto no manner wight. Chaucer. In our modern language, it is termed villainy, as being proper for rustic boors, or men of coarsest education and employment. Barrow. Villainy till a very late day expressed words foul and disgraceful to the utterer much oftener than deeds. Trench. 3. The act of a villain; a deed of deep depravity; a crime. Such villainies roused Horace into wrath. Dryden. That execrable sum of all villainies commonly called a slave trade. John Wesley.

Related words: (words related to VILLAINY)

• BELLMAN
  A man who rings a bell, especially to give notice of anything in the streets. Formerly, also, a night watchman who called the hours. Milton.
• BELIAL
  An evil spirit; a wicked and unprincipled person; the personification of evil. What concord hath Christ with Belia 2 Cor. vi. 15. A son of Belial, a worthless, wicked, or thoroughly depraved person. 1 Sam. ii. 12.
• BESCRATCH
  To tear with the nails; to cover with scratches.
• BEASTLIHEAD
  Beastliness. Spenser.
• BEWRAP
  To wrap up; to cover. Fairfax.
• BERGOMASK
  A rustic dance, so called in ridicule of the people of Bergamo, in Italy, once noted for their clownishness.
• BESCATTER
  1. To scatter over. 2. To cover sparsely by scattering ; to strew. "With flowers bescattered." Spenser.
• BELEAVE
  To leave or to be left. May.
• BEVELMENT
  The replacement of an edge by two similar planes, equally inclined to the including faces or adjacent planes.
• BESCORN
  To treat with scorn. "Then was he bescorned." Chaucer.
• BETSO
  A small brass Venetian coin.
• STATESMANLIKE
  Having the manner or wisdom of statesmen; becoming a statesman.
• BETOKEN
  1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs or tokens. A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow . . . Betokening peace from God, and covenant new. Milton. 2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that which is seen
• BECHE DE MER
  The trepang.
• BELLADONNA
  An herbaceous European plant with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black berries. The whole plant and its fruit are very poisonous, and the root and leaves are used as powerful medicinal agents. Its properties are largely due
• BETROTHAL
  The act of betrothing, or the fact of being betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future marriage between the persons betrothed; betrothment; affiance. "The feast of betrothal." Longfellow.
• BESLUBBER
  To beslobber.
• BENIM
  To take away. Ire . . . benimeth the man fro God. Chaucer.
• BESIEGER
  One who besieges; -- opposed to the besieged.
• BELAMY
  Good friend; dear friend. Chaucer.
• COMBER
  1. One who combs; one whose occupation it is to comb wool, flax, etc. Also, a machine for combing wool, flax, etc. 2. A long, curling wave.
• GABBER
  1. A liar; a deceiver. 2. One addicted to idle talk.
• HAIRBELL
  See HAREBELL
• ORBED
  Having the form of an orb; round. The orbèd eyelids are let down. Trench.
• GERBE
  A kind of ornamental firework. Farrow.
• LAMBERT PINE
  The gigantic sugar pine of California and Oregon (Pinus Lambertiana). It has the leaves in fives, and cones a foot long. The timber is soft, and like that of the white pine of the Eastern States.
• WATER-BEARER
  The constellation Aquarius.
• CREBRICOSTATE
  Marked with closely set ribs or ridges.
• GABELER
  A collector of gabels or taxes.
• CORYMBED
  Corymbose.
• ABERRATE
  To go astray; to diverge. Their own defective and aberrating vision. De Quincey.