Here - Norm's Book Club

VILE.
vile halted cowardrec 1607 Tournkor Rev, Trag. 1. i, I
uonder how ill-featurM, vile-proponion'd That one should
bclctc-J. 1660 Jkr. Tavlor Ductor 1. v. rule 8 §6 The
necessities of women mairieti to. .morose vilc-natur'd hust«iids.
1888 Doughty Arabia Deserta II. 30 The HSyil
princes, .are perhaps mostly like vile-spirited m their youth.
B. adv. = ViLKLY iidv. Now only in combs.
01300 i,"«rt*r 3f. 16461 Iudasstode..for to be-hald and se
Hu vile M ^>ai wit him delt. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2145
Ofte siih hit is scne. .1 hat a victor of a victe is vile ouercomyn.
1590 Spenser F. Q. 11. x. i3 I'he noble daughter
of Corineus Would not endure to be so vile disdaind. 1595
Skaks. John II. L 586 A most base and vile-concluded
peace 160a Marston Antonio s Rev. iv. v. No, no song;
twill be vile out of tune, a 1734 North Lives, Gml/ord
(1890) I. 2S8 Roc was a close servant of Monmouth's which
:
comes vile near siding against his master and benefactor
the Duke of York. 1905 JVeshfi. Gas. 16 Kcb. 1/3 The
vile-smellin;; tramp on which we had taken passage.
+ C. sd. A base or despicable person. Ods.
0400 Latui Troy Bk. 8t8 Sche wolde be more certayn
Thai he schulde here no-wayes be-gile Ne holde here aflfur
for no vile, c 1400 Song o/Rolami 76 They synnyd so sore
in \>SL\ ylk while that many men wept and cursid ^»at vile.
1530 Palscr. 285, 1 Vyle, a noughty person, loricart.
t Vile, V. Obs, AUo 4, 6 vyle, 4 vili. [ad,
AF. and OF. viler to blame, revile, or aphetic for
AVILE V.'\
1. trans. To bring to a vile or low condition ; to
abase or degrade. Also refl.
i»97 R. Glouc (Rolls) 802 (His he bigan is mone ; Alas,
ala^ t>ou lul>er wate [ ~ Fortune), |>at vilest me )>us one, I'at
bus clene bringst me adoun. 01300 Leg. Rood (1871) 34
pe tre wa$ vil and old ; and to vili our lord also..3Ut hem
^'o^te J>at tre to vair ^at he were ^>eron ido. 13.. E. E.
Aim. P. B. 863 Avoy ! hit is your vylaynye, ^e vvlen your
seluen. 1516 Pilgr. Per/. {W. de \V. 1531) 288 That the
hye god omnipotent wolde voudiesafe to vyle hymself so
lowe. 1530 Palscr. 765 2 I'hou oughtest to be a shamed
to vyle thy selfe with thyn yvel) tonge.
a To revile.
a lyoo Cursor AT. 25509 -Suet lauerd !., |>aa felun juus dai
and night, vild [Fat*/, reuiled] J>e wit al ^»air might.
3. To defile.
c 1400 tr. Higden (Rolls) VII. 147 In Jw ny?t byfore he
viled hym self (L. se/e more
unsemely and be more villiche \Bodl, MS. filich ; L. vi/ior]
in quenchynge of ]>e fyre.
vilely i,v3i'l|li), a(/v. Forms : a. 3-4 villiche
(4-5 fllliche), 4 vylliche, vyllyche. /3. 3-5
viliche (4 vileche), 5 vilich; 4 vilike, wilik ;
4, 6 vyly, 6-7 vylie ; 4, 6-7 vily (4-5 vili), 6
vilio, vilye. 7, 4-5 vileliohe (5 villiliche), 4
vilelik, 4, 6- vilely (6 vylely). [f. Vile a. +
-LT 2, after AF. and OF. vilemenL\ In a vile
manner (in various senses of the adj.).
a. CIS90 S. Eng. Leg. I. 296/82 Huy nomen and drowen
^ holie man villiche ^ru; )>e strete, Forto liuy comen
with^oute toun. ^1300 St. Margarete 123 Hire suete
tendre flesch so fiiliche to-drawe was so; Alias, hou mi^te
eni man for reu^e such dede do. 13.. Seuyn Sages (\V.)
1433 And than before the folk him bring. And thourgh the
toun htm villiche driue. 1340 Ayenb. 133 pet is wylny . . to
by y.hyealde vyi and villiche to by y-dra^e.
^. a 1300 Cursor M. 15833 f>ai huited on him viliker l>an
he had ben a bund. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2609
No man was so hardy To bryng hym )>yng opunty, pat he
ne shulde vyly be shent. a 1340 Hampole Psalter i. 6
Hatben men sal viUere be dampned. 138S Wvclif Lev.
xviii. 28 Be ^e war, lest it caste out viliche also ^ou in lijk
manere. £1400 Destr. Troy 6912 Vlixes, his aune cosyn,..
To venge of ^at vilany vili dissirit. c 1425 Eng. Cong.
Ireland ^ Of the schame ^t hyme was done, & of t'st )iki
be was so vilich out of hys kynd lond I-dryue. 1553 T.
WiLsoM Rhet. 56 b, We shall sone make our aduersanes to
be lothed, if we. .declare how cruelly, how vilie, and how
maliciously the! haue vsed other men heretofore. 1568
Grafton CAr^x. II. 62, I will neytber cowardlye shrinke,
nor vilye forsake my flocke committed to my charge, 1616
Ckampnev Voc, Bps. 119 For which reason doubtles do our
English Puritans esteeme so vily of ordinations made by
ltisnoi>s- X677 Gale Crt. Gentiles iv, i. iv, § 6. 132 It is..
vile thing, vily to obey any vile thing, such as sin is.
y. 13.. Cursor M. 16951 (G'">tt.), He ^at neuer no sin did,
vr sinnes all he bare, And vilelik for vs was ledd. 13..
K. Alts. 3968 (Laud MS.), Ne had myne hauberk ben
^ strongere pou haddest me vilely yslawe. c 1430 Pilgr.
Ljy/Mankode iv, ii. (1869) 175 pilke beste was disgiscd so
vileliche, and so foule figured |»at [etc.]. 1555 Elen Decades
(Arb.)86 Declaringe howe vylely, vylaynously, and violently
he had byn vsed of omtc men. x^i Mulcastf.r Positions
xxxvii. (1887) 161 So vilely to abuse, where they ought to
honour. 1611 Bible 2 Sam. x. 31 The shield of the mightie
is vilely cast away. 1694 Wood Li/e (O. H. S.) III. 463
The commons [were] enraged at it and spoke vilely of the
£arl of Abendon and his son—calld them Jacobites. 174S
P, 1'homas yml. Anson's Voy. 144 Thi'. so generally re.
ceived, tho' vilely mistaken Opinion, has caused many poor
Sufferers to Endure more.. than from the Distemper it*
self. 1766 GoLDSM. Vic. IV. xxxi, How is it, sir, that., his
daughter [is] vilely seduced as a recompence for his
hospitality? 18x5 Scott Guy M. xxi, Some drawings 1
202
have attempted, but I succeed vilely. 1856 Mrs. Browning
Aur. Leigh ix. 619 A woman proud As I am, and I'm very
vilely proud. 1894 Gladstone //(jraces to God, 1871 Ruskin Eagle's N. §79 Ghastly
convulsions in thought, and vilenesses in action.
3. Low or mean condition,
1549 CoVERDALE, etc. Erasm. Par. Rom. xv, 41 He therfore
submitted hym self to our vilenes, to thend he would
by"lytle and lylle exalt vs to a hygher state,
4. Extreme badness or worihlessness.
1713 T. Thomas in Portland Papers (Hist. MSS. Comm.)
VI. 74 One [picture] which, upon account of the vileness
of the artist, ought not to have been placed there. 1807
Anna M. Porter Hungar. Bro, iv. (1832) 40 While she plied
the modelliiig-sticks, or the chisel, with equal vileness.
Vilen8(ly, varr. Villains(ly Obs.
Vilentyne : see Volentine.
tVilesse. Obs. rare. [a. OF. vt //esse (-esce)^
var, viel/esce, etc, (mod.F. viei//esse), f, viet/ old."]
Old age.
c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 3a Thouhe she be
yong, yet wol she., take a buffard rJche of gret vilesse.
c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. ix. (1869) i8i pou shalt,
quod she, wite whan J>ou hast seyn vilesse, and Jjat she shal
bicomen in J)ce. And where is vilesse, quod j, and where
dweileth she, and what thing is it? (In ch.lv, p. 202, of
this work the reading viletee is prob. an error for vilece.\
Vilet, Vi'let, obs. forms of Violet.
t Vi'lety, Obs. Forms : a. 3-5 vilte (uilte,
4 filte), 4-5 vylte, 6 vilty, &. 4-5 vilete, 5-6
vylete(e, 6 vilety, 6-7 viletie, [a. AF. and
OF. vi/te ( = It. vi/tci, Pr. vi/tat), f. vi/ Vile a. Cf.
ViLlTY.] Vileness, in various senses ; a vile action.
o. aiu5 Ancr. R. 380, I hwuche uilte, i hwuche wo, he
ledde his lif on eorSe. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1081 Gret
vilte bou askest ous, wanne we of one kunde Bet> icome.
1303 R, Brunne Hatidl. Synne 5206 He J>at was hanged on
a tre Bysyde Ihesufor vylte. a 1340 Hampole PsalterxXxx.
22 pat ^ou wit ^at ^ou ill did and see ^i vilte. 13. . E. E.
Allit. P. B. 199 Neuer 5et in no boke breued I herde pat
euer he wrek so wyt^erly on werk t>at he made, Ne venged
for no vilte of vice ne synne. c 1400 Rule St. Benet Iviii.
(Prose) 38 Alle l>e uiltez J>at man wilie put hir to. 14 . , ^. E.
Leg. (MS. Bodl. 779) in Herrig's Arckiv LXXXII. 352/84
For^eue hem ^is gult ^at do|> me soch filte. 1483 Caxton
Cold, Leg, 290/1 After the passion the Crosse was moche
enhaunced for the vylte was transported in to preciousyte.
1598 Barret Theor. VVarres v. i. 148 Whosoeuer shall.,
loose the same [horse] through vilty or negligence.
/3, a 1300 Cursor M. 20340 par-for J?aron hei [v.r. haue]
)>ou J>e t!)0ght,..J>at tai do me na vilete, c 1450 tr. De Imitatione
in. xxiii. 93 Having euer in mynde hi.s oune wickednes
& his vilete. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. viii. 74 For yf..it
happed that. .[I] put the to deth it shold to me be vylele
and reproche. 1504 Atkvnson tr. De Imitatione in. xxiv.
217 If man consyder well his vylete, pouerie & great indygence,
1576 Bedincfield tr. Cardanus' Comf 57 b, And
misery, vilety, shame,, .are al more euil then death. i6oa
Secar Hon. Mil. ^ Civ. i\\, v. 118 Better it is therefore to
iusttfie honour by Armes, then incurre suspition of viletie.
Vileyn(e, obs. ff. Villain a,, Villein, Vileyne,
etc., obs. ff. Villaint. Vileyns, var.
Villains a. Obs. Vilfta(ly, obs. Sc. ff. Wil-
FDL(LV. Vili, obs, f. Vilely a(/v.
tViliaco. Obs. Also villiaco, vili-, viliago.
[ad. It. vig/iacco ( = Pg. ve//icuo^ Sp. bel/aco^ obs.
F. vi/iaque, vieil/aque) .~pop,L.*vi/t(rccumy -us, i,
L. vi/ts vile.] A vile or contemptible person; a
villain, scoundrel.
a. 1599 B. JoNSON Ev. Mail out ofHum. v. iii, Now out,
VILIFY,
baseviliaco! Thou my resolution ! i6oaDEKKER Satirom.
Wks. 1873 I, 187 Before they came near the great hall, the
faint-hearted villiacoes sounded at least thiice. 1630 J.
Tavlok (Water P.) Jacke-a^Lent Wks. i. 115/2 Panders
are plagued, and the chiefs Commanders of these valorous
villiacoes. .purchase the inheritance of a Jayle.
p. 1593 Shaks. 2 Hen. VI, iv, viii, 48 Me thinkes alreadie
in this ciuill broyle I see them Lording it in London streets.
Crying Villiago vnto all they meete. 1607 Dekkek &
Webster Sir T. IVyati E ij b, A Dondego is a desperate
Viliago, a very Castitian, God blesse vs. 1651 Randolph's
Hey for Honesty 11, i, 10 \V hy you Villiago 's, my master
has brought home an old lame. .Dotard.
Vllifiige, obs, form of Village.
t Vilicate, v. Obs.''^ [Perhaps a misprint for
vi/ificate^ trans. To vilify,
1646 R. Junius Cure of Misprision §54, 113 Basenesse,
what it cannot attaine to, it will vilicate and deprave.
Viliche, Vilie, obs. forms of Vilely adv.
+ Vili -ficate, /(J, ///(?, Oks,—^ [ad. late L. T/fAficat-us,
pa. pple. oi vi/ificdre Vilify v."] Kenderetl
vile.
a 1440 Found, St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 48 This
suttell serpent, iransformyne hym-eelf yn-to the lyknes of a
fair yonge man,.. more vyiyfycat with piecyousornamentis,
than I-bewtified for shynyng of his bewte.
Vilification (,vi:litike"'*j3n). [ad, L. type
^vUificdtio \ see Vilify v. and -fjcation. So
OF, vi/ification (15th cent.).]
1. The action of rendering vile in worth or estate
deg;radation. rare~^.
1630 Donne Deaths Duell (1632) 22 That,. that priuat and
retir'd man., must [in his dust], .bee mingled with the dust
of euery high way. ..This is the most inglorious and contemptible
vilification.
2. Ihe action of vilifying by means of abusive
language ; reviling ; an instance of this.
1653 H. More Def Cabbala Pref, 83, 1 will not deny, but
they nave mingled their own fooleries with it. . ; Such as.
reproaches against the Pleasures of the Body ; Vilification
of Marriage, and the like. 1660 Trial Regie. (1679) 203
Then you spake in vilification of Monarchical Government.
1664 H. Moke Myst. Inig. 230 Either way is declared that
which isa contumely and vilification of God. 1780 Bentham
Princ. Legist, xviii. §34 Ihus we have twogeneraor kinds
of offences against reputation merely; to wit, i. Defamation
and 2, Vilification or Revilement. ^ 1859 Bovo Recreat.
Country Parson iii, 83 If you try. . to live an honest, christian
life, it will go hard, but you will live down such maUcious
vilification, a 1884 M. Pattison Mem. (1885) 522 The
whole literary effort of the Catholic reaction .. had been
directed to beating down his fame by an organised system
of detraction and vilification.
b. An abusive remark or speech, rare.
1709 Strvpe Ann, Ref. I. xxxii. ^24 This epistle was
made up of falsehoods, misrepresentations and vilifications.
a 1734 North Lives (1826) ll. 164 In the mean time vilifications
plenty there were at their tongues' end.
3. The action of bringing into disrepute.
x65a Earl Monm. tr, BentiToglio's Hist. Relat. 134 The
losse of reputation (the soul of Empire) to the Crown of
Spain ; the 'I'ruce being made to the so much vilification
thereof.
Vilifier (vi'lifaiaj). [f. next.] One who vili-
a defamer or abuser.
i6>i Florid, Vilificatore, a vilifier, a debaser. 1691 Wood
fies ;
Ath. Oxon. 1. 103 He [T. Robertson] was a great Oppugner
and Vilifier of the Questionists in the University. 1707
Hearne Collect. 6 June (O.H.S.) II. 18 A Vilifier of the
Common -Prayer, a 17x8 Penn Tracts Wks. 1726 I. 713
Those that are Disturbers and Vilifiers of them that believe
in Him. 1876 Bancroft Hist. U. S. IV. ii. 2B8 Meantime,
the modern Prometheus, .stood conspicuously erect, confronting
his vilifier and the privy council. 1885 A/awcA,
Exam. 28 Mar. 5/4 The apology extracted from ids vilifier
is the smallest retribution which can be exacted.
Vilify (vi-lifsi), V. Also 5-8 vilifle, 7 villtfle,
8 -fy ; vilefy, 7 villefle. [ad. late L. vt/ificare
(Jerome), f. vi/is Vile a. : see -(i)fy. Hence also
it. vilificare^ Pr., Pg. vi/ificar.']
1. trans. 'I'o lower or lessen in worth or value
to reduce to a lower standing or level ; to make of
little (or less) account or estimation. Also reji.
Freq. in the 17th c. ; now rare or Obs,
(a) c 1450 tr. De Imitatione in. ix. 76 If. . I vilifie myself
& bringe me to nou3t,..& make me dust as I am, ^i grace
shal be merciful to me. 1617 Morvson Itin. m. 85 He who
vilifies himselfe, doth not thereby save one penny. 1630
Brathwait Eng. Genilem. (1641) 21 Who humbled himself
in the forme of man..: vilifying himself to make man like
himself. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. Ixii. 253 The
recompenses which God hath promised to those that vilify
themselves to serve him. a 1684 Lkighton Comm., i Peter
i. 23 (1850) 212 Are you not born to a better inheritance?.
Why then do you viHfy yourselves?
(b) 1604 T. yl MGHT Passions v. § 4. 251 Long delayes and
many suites vilifie the giftes ;.,for..it is bought dearely,
which is purchased with long prayers.^ 1645 Milton
Tetrach. Wks. 1851 IV, ij^r Such a mariage, wherin the
minde is so disgrac't and vilify 'd below the bodies interest,
..is not of Gods institution. 1654 Whitix>ck Zof'/tJw/Za 448
Though seeming Commendations,, .yet, .enough to vilifie,
and cneapen the Noblest Merit. 1677 Govt. Venice 129
The Republick of Venice not only detains their Dukes
Prisoners in their Palace, ..but it daily retrenches their
Priviledges, to vilifie them the more. 1768-74 Tucker Lt.
Nat. (18^4) II. 29 It would vilify, and, 1 may say, vulgarize
the Ahnighty, to imagine him resident among ourselves,
X790 HuRKE Fr. Rev. 147 The wealth and pride of individuals,
.makes the man of humble rank and fortune sensible
of his inferiority, and degrades and vilifies his condition.
183^ I, Tavlok Spir. Despot, v. 207 When [a hieraichy'sj
distinctions of rank are of iiuch vast compass as to vilify the
humbler clerical orders.