The word vice traces its roots to a Latin word meaning “fault, defect, or failing.” Ancient Rome described moral corruption, physical flaws, or legal defects—any deviation from an ideal state. Roman law recognized vice not just as a personal failing but as something with legal consequences, influencing everything from contract disputes to criminal sentencing.
Over time, the word traveled into Old French as a vice, keeping its association with moral weakness and depravity. By the time it entered Middle English in the 14th century, it had solidified into a habitual moral failing, particularly one tied to indulgence, excess, or unethical behavior.
Long before we had devices, we understood vices as something to resist, something inherently undesirable. And yet, many of us dive headlong into both vices and devices. Even when we know it isn’t good for us. Even when we want to stop. I know that my vices ruled my life for a long time, and even now, I must stay mindful of how I use my devices and how I frame my other “vices” as well.