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)

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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

• moral turpitude

Related terms

• turpid
• turpidly
• turpitudinous

Translations

inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness

• Bulgarian: низост (bg) f (nizost), подлост (bg) f (podlost)
• French: turpitude (fr) f
• German: Verderbtheit (de) f, Schändlichkeit f, Verworfenheit (de) f
• Russian: ни́зость (ru) f (nízostʹ), развращённость f (razvraščónnostʹ)

act evident of such a depravity

• French: turpitude (fr) f

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

Translations to be checked

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} niskost (sh) m

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

• “turpitude”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.