different between cupidity vs avarice

English

Etymology

From French cupidité, from Latin cupidit?s (“strong desire”), from cupidus (“keen, desirous”). Compare Cupid.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kju??p?d?ti/

Noun

cupidity (countable and uncountable, plural cupidities)

1. Extreme greed, especially for wealth.
   • 1857, Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers, Volume the First, page 11 ?ISBN

     His affairs, however, were not allowed to subside thus quietly, and people were quite as much inclined to talk about the disinterested sacrifice he had made, as they had before been to upbraid him for his cupidity.

   • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 784:

     It was easy to dissimulate and disperse these modest purchases in such a way as not to excite the cupidity of any passing patrols.

Synonyms

• (extreme greed): avarice, covetousness; see also Thesaurus:greed

Related terms

• cupid

Translations

Anagrams

• pudicity

English

Etymology

From Middle English avarice, from Old French, from Latin av?ritia, from av?rus (“greedy”).

Pronunciation

• (non-merged vowel) IPA^(key): /?æv???s/
• (merged vowel) IPA^(key): /?æv???s/, /?æv??s/

Noun

avarice (usually uncountable, plural avarices)

1. Excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greed for wealth

   Synonyms: covetousness, cupidity

2. Inordinate desire for some supposed good.

Synonyms

• avariciousness
• See also Thesaurus:greed

Related terms

• avaricious, avariciously

Translations

References

Anagrams

• caviare

French

Etymology

From Latin avaritia. Cognate with Italian avarizia, Portuguese avareza, Spanish avaricia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.va.?is/
• Rhymes: -is

Noun

avarice f (plural avarices)

1. greed; avarice

Related terms

• avare
• avarement
• avaricieux

Further reading

• “avarice” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French

Etymology

From Latin avaritia.

Noun

avarice f (oblique plural avarices, nominative singular avarice, nominative plural avarices)

1. greed; avarice

Descendants

• ? English: avarice
• French: avarice