Turpitude

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɜː(ɹ)pɪtjuːd/

Definitions

1. Depravity or extreme immorality, particularly dishonesty or baseness of character or conduct
2. A state of disgusting moral corruption characterized by baseness and lack of integrity
3. The quality of being shockingly vile or morally depraved in behavior or character

Etymology: Latin "turpis" meant "foul" or "base," and it was often used of things that were ugly or disgraceful in a physical as well as a moral sense. From it Romans formed "turpitudo," which carried the broader idea of baseness or infamy. English borrowed the word through Middle French "turpitude," so it arrived with its heavy moral weight already attached rather than as a neutral description of ugliness. That moral weight is why the word still sounds so formal and judgmental today. It is most often found in legal and religious language, as in phrases about "moral turpitude," where it names conduct so disgraceful that it counts against a person's character. The word has never drifted far from the sense of something shameful, and its Latin root has stayed firmly attached to the idea of disgrace.

Synonyms: wickedness, depravity, baseness, immorality

Antonyms: virtue, honor, goodness