Etymology
Origin of concupiscent
First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin concupiscent- (stem of concupiscēns, present participle of concupiscere “to conceive an ardent desire for”), equivalent to concupere “to desire greatly” (equivalent of con- intensive prefix + cupere “to desire”) + -escent inchoative suffix; see con-, -escent
Explanation
The word concupiscent describes a feeling of intense, powerful desire or yearning for someone or something. This formal word, which means passionate or lustful, comes from the Latin concupere, "to be very desirous of," and its root, cupere, "to long for." Historically, the word was used in theological contexts when referring to worldly human appetites and desires. In literature, it might refer to characters experiencing an all-consuming, urgent desire for each other — think Romeo and Juliet. But someone could have a concupiscent drive or desire for success, money, or even knowledge.
Vocabulary lists containing concupiscent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nick Offerman, the comic he-man of Parks and Recreation, stars as Ignatius J Reilly, a gluttonous and concupiscent layabout, slothfully adrift in New Orleans.
From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2015
The audacious scope of the novel is nothing less than the anatomy of love�from filial to fraternal, from spiritual to concupiscent, from self-regarding to self-sacrificing.
From Time Magazine Archive
This uneasy alliance between corseted but concupiscent industry and one of its most irascible critics is, perhaps, more aptly illustrated in The Caine Mutiny, which Columbia Pictures will release this summer.
From Time Magazine Archive
The stages of the conflict are many and various; and she is sorely let and hindered by the animal desires of the inferior or concupiscent steed.
From Phaedrus by Jowett, Benjamin
Is not this man likely to seat the concupiscent and covetous elements on the vacant throne?
From The Five Great Philosophies of Life by Hyde, William De Witt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
