Wickedness
/ˈwɪkɪdnəs/noun
The quality of being morally bad or evil.
Did you know?The core of *wicked* is believed to come from Old English *wicca* (“male sorcerer, wizard”), so the word’s history brushes against the old fear that magic and moral danger were linked.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
wiccednes
“evilness, badness, wicked conduct”
Old English
OE
wicca
“male sorcerer, wizard”
Old English
OE
wicce
“female sorceress, witch”
Middle English
ME
wickednesse
“evil, sinfulness, moral depravity”
Modern English
English
wickedness
“the state or quality of being wicked”