What does vis mean?
Vis is an uncommon English noun with two quite different historical uses. Its better-established dictionary sense denotes a former unit of weight used in India; in this sense, the plural can be either vis or vies. In more elevated or Latin-derived writing, vis may mean force, power, or strength, especially in contexts that consciously evoke Latin usage. The two senses are separated by more than pronunciation: the weight unit belongs to the history of British trade and South Asian metrology, while the abstract sense belongs to literary and scholarly English. Ordinary speakers are more likely to encounter forms of vie, a verb meaning to compete or contend, than vis itself. Even so, vis is useful vocabulary because it preserves an old unit of measurement and continues to echo the Latin vis, meaning force or power, that underlies familiar words such as vigor and vital.
A former unit of weight used in India.
"The merchant recorded the parcel's weight in vis."
Archaic and uncommon; the plural may be vis or vies.
Force, power, or strength, especially in literary or scholarly use.
"The reform gave the movement a new vis and renewed purpose."
Chiefly literary or scholarly and distinct from the verb vie.
Both vis and vies are recorded plurals in the historical Indian weight-unit sense.
"Each load was measured in vis, while the accounts also listed the amounts in vies."
Vis belongs to a small family of English words that preserve the Latin root for strength and life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vis come from?
The rare weight unit entered English through historical British usage in India and ultimately reflects an older South Asian naming tradition. The abstract noun vis comes directly from Latin, where vis means force, strength, or power; the same root also underlies words such as vigor and vital. Latin vis is ordinarily plural vires, so modern English use of vis for an abstract singular is relatively uncommon.
How vis is actually used
The Indian weight-unit sense is archaic and uncommon. The sense meaning strength or power is chiefly literary or scholarly and should not be confused with the unrelated English verb vie.
Easily confused with vis
Vis is a rare historical weight unit, whereas vie is a verb meaning to compete or contend with someone.
Vis is pronounced like the final syllable of vice, but it is a separate historical noun with a different meaning.