cacoëthes

or cac·o·e·thes

[ kak-oh-ee-theez ]

/ ˌkæk oʊˈi θiz /

noun

an irresistible urge; mania.

QUIZZES

This Word Of The Day Quiz Is Far From Thersitical

Have you mastered the meaning of phronesis? How about plethoric? Take the quiz on the words from the week of February 17 to 23 to find out.

Question 1 of 7

Lincolnesque

without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln.

very high or tall; lofty.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby cacoëthes

cacomistle, caconym, cacophonous, cacophony, cacosmia, cacoëthes, cacqueteuse, cactaceous, cactoblastis, cactus, cactus dahlia

Origin of cacoëthes

1555–65; < Latin < Greek kakóēthes, neuter (used as noun) of kakoḗthēs malignant, literally, of bad character; see caco-, ethos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for cacoethes

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
But the cacoethes scribendi possesses me, and all my leisure hours are devoted to a Suite.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
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

British Dictionary definitions for cacoethes

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