Archaic or dialectal term meaning contemptible, worthless, or vile in character.
From Old French avile, from Latin ad- (to) + vilis (cheap, worthless). The meaning has shifted from 'made vile' to simply 'vile' or 'contemptible.'
This word shows how English borrowed heavily from French after 1066, and many of these old insults have quietly disappeared—we stopped using 'avile' and started just saying 'vile' instead, which is simpler anyway.
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