cacoëthes

or cac·o·e·thes

[ kak-oh-ee-theez ]

/ ˌkæk oʊˈi θiz /

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noun

an irresistible urge; mania.

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Origin of cacoëthes

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin, from Greek kakóēthes, neuter (used as noun) of kakoḗthēs “malignant,” literally, “of bad character”; see caco-, ethos

Words nearby cacoëthes

cacodylate, cacodyl group, cacodylic, cacodylic acid, cacoepy, cacoëthes, cacogenics, cacogeusia, cacography, cacology, cacomelia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cacoëthes in a sentence

Erasmus shared with most scholars of the Renaissance the cacoethes scribendi.
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam|Ephraim Emerton
This cacoethes scribendi is the pest of every local curiosity or public watering-place.
Personal Memoirs Of A Residence Of Thirty Years With The Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
Among the rest she was seized with what we men call a cacoethes of the needle: "a raging desire" for work.
White Lies|Charles Reade
As cool as you like old Peter replied, 'Cacoethes loquendi.'
Combed Out|Fritz August Voigt

I do not believe that there are any cases of the cacoethes subscribendi.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cacoëthes

cacoethes

/ (ˌkækəʊˈiːθiːz) /

noun

an uncontrollable urge or desire, esp for something harmful; maniaa cacoethes for smoking

Derived forms of cacoethes

cacoethic (ˌkækəʊˈɛθɪk), adjective

Word Origin for cacoethes

C16: from Latin cacoēthes malignant disease, from Greek kakoēthēs of an evil disposition, from kakos caco- + ēthos character

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012