The Collaborative International Dictionary
Villainy \Vil"lain*y\, n.; pl. Villainies. [OE. vilanie, OF. vilanie, vilainie, vileinie, vilanie, LL. villania. See Villain, n.] [Written also villany.]
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The quality or state of being a villain, or villainous; extreme depravity; atrocious wickedness; as, the villainy of the seducer. ``Lucre of vilanye.''
--Chaucer.The commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy.
--Shak. -
Abusive, reproachful language; discourteous speech; foul talk. [Archaic]
He never yet not vileinye ne said In all his life, unto no manner wight.
--Chaucer.In our modern language, it [foul language] is termed villainy, as being proper for rustic boors, or men of coarsest education and employment.
--Barrow.Villainy till a very late day expressed words foul and disgraceful to the utterer much oftener than deeds.
--Trench. -
The act of a villain; a deed of deep depravity; a crime.
Such villainies roused Horace into wrath.
--Dryden.That execrable sum of all villainies commonly called a slave trade.
--John Wesley.
Wiktionary
n. (misspelling of villainy English)
Wikipedia
Villány (, , / Вилањ) is a town in Baranya county, Hungary that is famous for its wine. Residents are Magyars, with minority of Serbs.
Usage examples of "villany".
I shall never forgive villany farther than my religion obliges me, and that extends not either to our bounty or our conversation.
The whole dreadful history of the villany of Stevens, her irreparable ruin--was now clearly intelligible.
SIR, I am not at all surprized at hearing form your worthy nephew a fresh instance of the villany of Mr.
Carnal-Security, at his own table among his guests, in his own house, and that in the midst of his jolliness, even while he was seeking to perfect his villanies against the town of Mansoul.
When I beheld this horrible fact, I could not but attempt to utter my mind and say, O masters, but I could pronounce no more but the first letter O, which I roared out so valiantly, that the young men of the towne seeking for a straie Asse, that they had lost the same night, and hearing my voice, whereby they judged that I had beene theirs, entred into the house unwares, and found these persons committing their vile abhomination, which when they saw, they declared to all the inhabitants by, their unnatural villany, mocking and laughing at this the pure and cleane chastity of their religion.
To find a something, which will soon expose The villanies and wiles of her determined foes: And, having thus adventured, thus endured, Fame, wealth, and lover, are for life secured.
But first it falleth me by course to tellOf faire Serena, who as earst you heard,When first the gentle Squire at variaunce fellWith those two Carles, fled fast away, afeardOf villany to be to her inferd:So fresh the image of her former dread,Yet dwelling in her eye, to her appeard,That euery foote did tremble, which did tread,And euery body two, and two she foure did read.
But if Johnson had wished to be convinced, he might very easily have discovered that highwaymen and housebreakers did frequent the theatre, and that nothing was more probable than that a laughable representation of successful villany should induce the young and the already vicious to imitate it.
He talks, forsooth, as if 'twere a year or so since, and his villanies and lewdnesses were clean gone from his memory for lapse of time.
Chuckster, entranced by this monstrous fact, stood for some time rooted to the earth, protesting within himself that Kit was the Prince of felonious characters, and very Emperor or Great Mogul of Snobs, and how he clearly traced this revolting circumstance back to that old villany of the shilling, are matters foreign to our purpose.