covetousness

English

Etymology

covetous +‎ -ness

Noun

covetousness (usually uncountable, plural covetousnesses)

Immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth.
- 1588: La Placette, Jean Of the Incurable Scepticism of the Church of Rome
  He which will yield to Fear. muſt neceſſarily yield to Covetouſneſs or any inordinate Deſire.
- 1661: Johnson, J. The morning-exercise at Cripple-gate
  Covetouſneſs is the yelow Jaundice of the foul, which ariſes from the over-flowing of the heart with love to yellow gold, by which a Chriſtian is dull'd and deadned.
- 1815: Lavington, Samuel Sermons and other discourses, Volume 1
  Covetousness prevents all good, and is and inlet and encouragement to evil.
- 1976: Ellul, Jacques The Ethics of Freedom page 134
  In obvious compensation and opposition the fear of nothingness becomes the source of covetousness...

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:greed

Translations

desire for the possession of something

Dutch: begerigheid f
Estonian: ihalus
Finnish: ahneus (fi), kateus (fi)
French: convoitise (fr) f
Galician: cobiza
Georgian: ხარბობა (xarboba)

German: Habsucht (de), Gier (de) f
Irish: antlás m
Persian: حرص‎ (fa) (hers)
Romanian: poftă nemăsurată f, râvnire excesivă f
Spanish: codicia (es) f

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