cacoëthes

or cac·o·e·thes

[ kak-oh-ee-theez ]

/ ˌkæk oʊˈi θiz /

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noun

an irresistible urge; mania.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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, cacography, cacology, cacomistle, caconym

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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