vice1
/
vʌɪs/
n.
- immoral or wicked behaviour.
▸criminal activities which involve prostitution, pornography, or drugs.
▸an immoral or wicked personal characteristic.
- a weakness of character; a bad habit.
▸
(also stable vice)
a bad or neurotic habit of stabled horses, typically arising from boredom.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: via OFr. from L. vitium.
vice2
/
vʌɪs/
n.
a metal tool with movable jaws which are used to hold an object firmly in place while work is done on it.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (denoting a screw or winch): from OFr. vis, from L. vitis ‘vine’.
vice3
/
ˈvʌɪsi/
prep.
as a substitute for.
Etymology
L., ablative of vic- ‘change’.