turpitude

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French turpitude, from Latin turpitūdō (“baseness, infamy”), from turpis (“foul, base”).

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈtɜː(ɹ)pɪtjuːd/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɜɹpətuːd/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

turpitude (countable and uncountable, plural turpitudes)

  1. Inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness.
    • 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
      As for the moral turpitude that man unveiled to me, even with tears of penitence, I cannot, even in memory, dwell on it without a start of horror.
  2. An act evident of such depravity.

Derived terms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin turpitūdō.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /tyʁ.pi.tyd/

Noun

turpitude f (plural turpitudes)

  1. turpitude (depravity, wickedness)
  2. turpitude (depraved or wicked act)

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.