vilis

Vilis is a Latin adjective meaning cheap, inexpensive, or of little value, with implications that something is worth little or morally base. In classical texts it could describe material goods or prices as well as people or actions perceived as lacking worth or virtue. The sense can range from a simple economic assessment to a strong moral judgment, depending on context.

Etymology and related forms are tied to its foundational sense of low value. Vilis yields the abstract noun vilitas, meaning baseness or worthlessness, and it has given rise to English derivatives such as vile and vilify, which retain the sense of low value or moral contempt. In Latin, the word also forms comparative and superlative degrees, such as vilior (more cheap or more base) and vilissimus (cheapest or most base).

Usage in Latin literature often contrasts vilis with terms for honor, worth, or beauty, making it a useful word for depicting economic or social status, as well as ethical judgments. It appears in descriptions of prices, goods, and social behavior where worth is assessed, questioned, or condemned. The noun vilitas is commonly used to discuss baseness of character or lack of value in a broader sense.

Today, vilis is primarily of interest to students and scholars of Latin linguistics and classical texts. In modern English, its cognates survive in words like vile, while the Latin term itself is usually encountered in scholarly commentary, translation, or historical discussion rather than everyday usage.