cupidity

American  

[kyoo-pid-i-tee] / kyuˈpɪd ɪ ti /

noun

1. eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed; avarice.

   Synonyms:

   hunger, avidity, covetousness

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cupidity British  

/ kjuːˈpɪdɪtɪ /

noun

1. strong desire, esp for possessions or money; greed

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Other Word Forms

• cupidinous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cupidity

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English cupidite, (from Middle French or directly from Latin cupiditās, equivalent to cupid(us) “eager, desirous” ( cup(ere) “to desire” + -idus -id ⁴ ) + -itās -ity

Explanation

Remember the saying “Greed is good”? It could just as easily be “Cupidity is good,” though admittedly it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite the same way. Cupidity means a burning desire to have more wealth than you need. Though it sounds like it might have something to do with the little winged figure who shoots arrows and makes folks fall in love on Valentine’s Day, cupidity is all about the love of money. It comes to us from Latin cupidus, which means "desirous." It’s not a word that crops up a lot in conversation, though you might run across it in newspapers and magazines, particularly those blaming Wall Street’s unbridled cupidity for America’s economic woes.

Example Sentences

Wrote Newshawk Smith wisely: "Cupidity is the handmaiden of national defense, or vice versa."

From Time Magazine Archive

The toast of the evening, dear old friends," said Bones, "is Cupidity and Cupid.

From Bones in London by Wallace, Edgar

Having cast off Desire and Cupidity, great is my happiness now.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan

Cupidity had no abiding place in his nature.

From Abraham Lincoln, Volume 1 (of 2) The True Story Of A Great Life by Herndon, William H.

Their places are filled with fresh victims—innocents, whom Passion begets with a caress and Cupidity buys with a curse.

From The Bishop of Cottontown A Story of the Southern Cotton Mills by Moore, John Trotwood