English word origin

Etymology of vise

From Middle English vis, vys, vice (“screw”), from Anglo-Norman vyz, vice, from Old French vis (“screw”), from Latin vītis f (“vine”). Probably akin to English withe.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

noun

An instrument consisting of two jaws, closing by a screw, lever, cam, or the like, for holding work, as in filing. · A situation in which one's freedom of choice is constrained. · A screw. · A spiral staircase.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English vis, vys, vice (“screw”), from Anglo-Norman vyz, vice, from Old French vis (“screw”), from Latin vītis f (“vine”). Probably akin to English withe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionvisenm
Derivation mentionvisfro · screw
Derivation mentionvītisla · vine
Doublet mentionwitheen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "vis"
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    },
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    },
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      "name": "doublet",
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        "notext": "1"
      },
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      "vis",
      "vis#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "vys",
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      "vice#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "vyz#Old_French"
    ],
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    ],
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      "vītis",
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      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "バイス",
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        "borrowed"
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        "An instrument consisting of two jaws, closing by a screw, lever, cam, or the like, for holding work, as in filing.",
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To clamp with or as with a vise.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English vis, vys, vice (“screw”), from Anglo-Norman vyz, vice, from Old French vis (“screw”), from Latin vītis f (“vine”). Probably akin to English withe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionvisenm
Derivation mentionvisfro · screw
Derivation mentionvītisla · vine
Doublet mentionwitheen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "notext": "1"
      },
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      "vice",
      "vice#Middle_English"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for vise →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dmlzZQ