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A vice is a bad habit, a vise is a tool that clamps things together.



*in American English. Both are ‘vice’ in English English (UK/NZ/AU) as far as I’m aware.

‘Vice’ in American English, still has alternative meanings, like ‘vice president’.


> ‘Vice’ in American English, still has alternative meanings, like ‘vice president’.

Does that count as English? I though it is borrowed Latin, like de facto, et cetera or per se.


No idea - it may have come to English via French too.

English is a mongrel of a language.


From a brief dip in the multi volume full OED it looks like "Vice Chairman" (etc) came about via vyse | visage | "face" .. as in "This person is a substitute | deputy | "the face" of another person or role"

It's a usage going back to at least 1597 and lost in the fog of time before.


Interesting. It works the same in a most European languages (Vicepresidente, Vice-président, Vizepräsident, Wiceprezydent, Viceprezident, Віцепрезидент, Вице-президент, ...).


> ‘Vice’ in American English, still has alternative meanings, like ‘vice president’.

Why do you think it has "alternative'' meaning ? /s




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