vīlĭtas

I. lowness of price, cheapness.

I. Lit.: tanta repente vilitas annonae ex caritate rei frumentariae consecuta est, etc., Cic. Imp. Pomp. 15, 44: vilitas in vendendis (fructibus), Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 98, § 227: cum alter annus in vilitate, alter in summā caritate fuerit, id. ib. 2, 3, 93, § 216: ad denarios senos vilitas rediit, Plin. 35, 6, 28, § 47: offerre aliquid vilitati, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 34.—

II. Transf.

A. Trifling value of a thing, meanness, baseness, worthlessness, vileness (post-Aug.): verborum, Petr. 118: nominum, Plin. 20, praef. § 1: si humiles producet, vilitatem; potentes, gratiam oportebit incessere, Quint. 5, 7, 23: morum, App. Flor. 1, p. 344, 30.—

B. Subject., low esteem, disregard, slighting, contempt: vilitas sui, Sen. Clem. 1, 3, 4; id. Ep. 121, 24; Curt. 5, 9, 6.