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vice

vice

noun VEES Less Common

Origin: Latin vitium (fault, defect)

Also means

flaw

Usage Note

Vice can refer to a moral failing or bad habit, or in a legal/technical sense to a hidden defect (vice caché). The compound vice versa is borrowed directly into French. The adjective vicieux means 'vicious' or 'having bad habits', and vicieuse is the feminine form.

Examples

"La paresse est son principal vice."

Natural Translation

Laziness is his main vice.

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