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covet

[kuhv-it]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property.
  2. to wish for, especially eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.
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Origin of covet

1175–1225; Middle English coveiten < Anglo-French coveiter, Old French coveit(i)er < Vulgar Latin *cupidiētāre, verbal derivative of *cupidiētās, for Latin cupititās cupidity
Related formscov·et·a·ble, adjectivecov·et·er, nouncov·et·ing·ly, adverbun·cov·et·ed, adjectiveun·cov·et·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. See envy.

Antonyms

1. renounce.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for coveter

covet

verb -vets, -veting or -veted (tr)
  1. to wish, long, or crave for (something, esp the property of another person)
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Derived Formscovetable, adjectivecoveter, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French coveitier, from coveitié eager desire, ultimately from Latin cupiditā cupidity
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

Word Origin and History for coveter

covet

v.

mid-13c., from Old French coveitier "covet, desire, lust after" (12c., Modern French convoiter, influenced by con- words), probably ultimately from Latin cupiditas "passionate desire, eagerness, ambition," from cupidus "very desirous," from cupere "long for, desire" (see cupidity). Related: Coveted; coveting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper