a. Forms: α. 4 vylayneus, 5–6 vylaynous, 6 velaynous, vilaynouse; 6 vyllayn-, villayn-, 6– villainous (7 villainus, -einous). β. 4, 6–7 vilanous, 5–6 vylanous, 6 -ouse, vilanus, 4, 6–9 villanous (6 -ouse); 5 vilenous(e, 6 villenus, 7–8 -ous; 7 villonous. γ. 6 velanus-, velanous, 7 vealinous. [f. VILLAIN sb. + -OUS, or ad. OF. vilenneus insulting, defamatory.]
1. Of persons: † a. Churlish, ill-bred, unmannerly. Obs. rare.
13[?]. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1497. Ȝe ar stif in-noghe to constrayne wyth strenkþe, ȝif yow lykez, Ȝif any were so vilanous þat yow devaye wolde.
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 178. Ful foule and cherlysshe semed she, And eek vylayneus for to be, And litel coude of norture.
b. Having the character or disposition of a villain; infamously depraved or wicked; vilely criminal.
c. 1550. Rolland, Crt. Venus, IV. 281. Not for to say, Venus is velanous: Bot that hir warkis may na les be vndone Nor of befoir, bot Vesta is mair Famous.
1570. Levins, Manip., 226. Villanouse, flagitiosus.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., II. iv. 138. There is nothing but Roguery to be found in Villanous man.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., 475. The furious outrage of that most villanous Rebell Ket.
1623. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1908), II. 244. A ploott of that vealinous strompitt Nahar Malle.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 368. They are yet reckoned a Villanous sort of Breed.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 500. We have not half done yet, villainous Hell-hound Dogs!
1793. Mrs. Inchbald, Ev. One has Faults, III. ii. I repeat, he is the vilest, the most villanous of men.
1839. Darwin, Voy. Nat., iv. 83. I should think such a villanous, banditti-like army, was never before collected together.
1855. Brewster, Newton, II. xv. 56. The Elector of Hanover, whom the villanous English wished to deprive of the succession to the kingdom.
1869. D. Cook, Nts. at the Play (1883), I. 116. Mr. Cowper gave a … careful portraiture of the villanous Stukely.
c. Miserable, wretched. rare–1.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 45. Oh, quod he, what region shal shrowd mee villenus owtcast?
2. Of actions: Of the nature of villainy; marked by depravity or vileness of conduct; deserving severe condemnation on moral grounds.
14[?]. Chaucer’s L. G. W., 1824 (Fairf.). Allas of the thys was a vilenouse dede.
1573–80. Baret, Alv., s.v., A Vilanous and shamefull act.
1599. Dallam, in Early Voy. Levant (Hakluyt Soc.), 84. He came but to speake with our Turke aboute their vilanus plott.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., 111. Which Figment is still the more vile, if we consider … with what villainous and barbarous injuries it must necessarily be conceived to be accompanied.
1681. Hallywell, Melampr., 80. [They] have incorporated themselves into the Dark Society by all manner of villanous and flagitious actions.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 27. If their brutish rage led them to one villanous action, they would soon go on to another.
1772. Priestley, Inst. Relig. (1782), I. 127. One villainous action is sufficient to imbitter a man’s whole life.
1813. Shelley, Q. Mab, IV. 184. Their cold hearts blend Deceit with sternness, ignorance with pride, All that is mean and villanous.
1837. Lytton, E. Maltrav., IX. ii. I have done a villanous thing, but I thought it only a clever one.
1846. Greener, Sci. Gunnery, 153. A villainous system of covering or plating barrels with fine iron, over a body of iron of the most inferior description.
b. Of looks, etc.: Indicative of villainy.
1828. Southey, Epistle to Allan Cunningham. I shall show thee, Allan,… an array of villainous visages.
1840. Dickens, Old C. Shop, xxix. Isaac [had] a very ill-favoured face, and a most sinister and villainous squint.
1841. Borrow, Zincali, I. iv. II. 284. With an expression so extremely villanous, that I felt uneasy.
1863. [see LEER sb.2].
3. Of words, etc.: Pertaining to or characteristic of a villain; vile, scurrilous; offensively opprobrious or profane.
α. 1470–85. Malory, Arthur, I. xxvii. 74. The most vylaynous and lewdest message that euer man herd sente vnto a kynge.
1529. More, Dyaloge, IV. Wks. 261/2. Thus these wretched heretiques … lay more vilaynouse rebuke to the great maieste of god, than euer any one ribaude layd vnto a nother. Ibid. (1532), Confut. Tindale, Wks. 602/2. Wee fynde not that he called hym false wretche, nor no suche vylaynous word.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 28 April 1696. A most villainous reviling book against K. James.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, IX. viii. My heart swelled with indignation at so villainous a calumny.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., I. i. He at last broke out with a villainous, low oath.
β. 1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. lxvi. 36/2. Whan the other commons sawe that, they began to sterre and sayde to the burgesses many euyll and vylanous wordes.
1559. Homilies, I. Agst. Contention, II. (1569), M viij b. Pericles being prouoked to anger with many vilanous wordes, answered not a worde.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., V. i. 265. One that hath spoke most villanous speeches of the Duke.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, V. i. 285. Princes doe rather pardon ill deedes, than Villanous words.
† 4. Shameful, atrocious, horrible. Obs.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 301 b. Euer conspyrynge for thy grace the moost vyllaynous & shamefull deth of the crosse.
1529. More, Dial. Concern. Heresyes, IV. vii. 106/2. To pyteouse and to abomynable were yt to reherse the vylanouse payne and tormentys that they deuysed on ye sely women.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, lxx. 239. They are worthy to receyue a velaynous dethe.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., 359. Prince Edward … was there put to death and in most shamefull and vilanous maner his branes dashed out.
1616. Barbour’s Bruce (Hart), 373. As Sir Dauid the good Brechyne … Was put to sa villanous a dead.
† b. Villainous judg(e)ment, a sentence of extreme severity (see quot. 1641) passed on one found guilty of conspiracy or other grave offence.
1607. Cowell, Interpr., Villenous iudgement … is that which casteth the reproch and shame vpon him against whom it is giuen, as a Conspiritour, &c.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 264. Villeinous judgment is … that the party found guilty shall lose the benefit of the law,… that his lands, goods & chattels shall be seised into the Kings hands,… and his trees digd up, and his body imprisoned.
1769. Blackstone, Comm., IV. 136. It now is the better opinion, that the villenous judgment is by long disuse become obsolete; it not having been pronounced for some ages.
5. Extremely bad or objectionable; atrocious, detestable.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., II. i. 15. I thinke this is the most villanous house in al London rode for Fleas. Ibid. (1598), Merry W., III. v. 93. There was the rankest compound of villanous smell, that euer offended nostrill.
1607. B. Barnes, Divils Charter, V. ii. K 4. Out vpon thee, thou hast poysoned mee with thy stinking breath or with thy villonous powders.
1638. R. Baker, trans. Balzac’s Lett. (vol. III.), 123. Women are bound,… for the very interest of their beauty, to shun a passion, that makes such villanous faces, and sets so many wrinkles upon their countenances.
1672. Marvell, Reh. Transp., I. 5. The Press (that villanous Engine) invented much about the same time with the Reformation.
1706. Addison, Rosamond, I. ii. Thou art ugly and old, And a villainous Scold.
1806. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life, I. 102. The only place … which by some villainous mischance you did not see.
1821. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), I. 20. I passed through that villanous bole, Cricklade, about two hours ago.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exped., xxvi. (1856), 214. This is the second I have killed with this villainous carbine.
1884. Chr. World, 25 Sept., 719/2. The weather was villainous. It rained every day.
† b. As adv. Villainously, vilely. Obs.–1
1610. Shaks., Temp., IV. i. 250. We shall loose our time, And all be turn’d to Barnacles, or to Apes With foreheads villanous low.
† 6. Low or base in respect of social position; servile. Obs. (Cf. VILLEIN.)
1607. Cowell, Interpr., s.v., Base, Base tenents be they … which do to their lords villeinous service. Ibid., s.v. Villenage, This villanous soccage is to cary the Lords dung into his feilds, to plow his ground [etc.].
1645. Ussher, Bod. Div. (1647), 143. The slavish and villanous estate of the parents is communicated unto all their off-spring.
1679. Blount, Anc. Tenures, 155, note. I suppose … by sanguinem suum emere, was meant, that the Tenant being a Bondman, should buy out his Villainous blood, and make himself a Freeman.
1766. Blackstone, Comm., II. 62. These were the only free holdings or tenements; the others were villenous or servile.
7. Comb., as villainous-hearted, -looking adj.
1842. Borrow, Bible in Spain, vii. They were villainous-looking ruffians.
1844. Dickens, Pictures fr. Italy (1846), 163. Seeing nothing but … a villanous-looking shepherd.
1869. Chicago Evening Post, 14 Dec., 1/6. The pith of the story is simply this: Harry Thatcher (Padgett) a villainous-hearted mill owner, and Gail Barstow (Blaisdell), a very genteel new settler, are rivals for the hand of Mary Hamilton (Miss Sallie Partington).
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 271. I must admit my good friend was a villainous-looking savage.
Hence Villainousness (Bailey, 1727, vol. II.).
1876. ‘D. De Quille’ (W. Wright), Hist. Big Bonanza, xvii. 139. The amalgamating pans in the mills surpassed the caldron of Macbeth’s witches in the variety and villainousness of their contents.
