villainy

villainy
    n 1: the quality of evil by virtue of villainous behavior [syn:
         {villainy}, {villainousness}]
    2: a criminal or vicious act
    

Villainy \Vil"lain*y\, n.; pl. {Villainies}. [OE. vilanie, OF.
   vilanie, vilainie, vileinie, vilanie, LL. villania. See
   {Villain}, n.] [Written also {villany}.]
   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.
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            The commendation is not in his wit, but in his
            villainy.                             --Shak.
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   2. Abusive, reproachful language; discourteous speech; foul
      talk. [Archaic]
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            He never yet not vileinye ne said
            In all his life, unto no manner wight. --Chaucer.
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            In our modern language, it [foul language] is termed
            villainy, as being proper for rustic boors, or men
            of coarsest education and employment. --Barrow.
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            Villainy till a very late day expressed words foul
            and disgraceful to the utterer much oftener than
            deeds.                                --Trench.
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   3. The act of a villain; a deed of deep depravity; a crime.
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            Such villainies roused Horace into wrath. --Dryden.
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            That execrable sum of all villainies commonly called
            a slave trade. --John Wesley.
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30 Moby Thesaurus words for "villainy":
      abomination, atrocity, bad, baseness, chicanery, degradation,
      disgrace, error, evil, infamy, iniquity, knavery, knavishness,
      moral turpitude, obliquity, peccancy, rascality, rascalry,
      reprobacy, roguery, roguishness, scampishness, scandal,
      scoundrelism, shame, sin, turpitude, vileness, villainousness,
      wrong