Where does “covetousness” come from?
Covetousness derives from Middle English covetous plus the suffix -nesse, from Anglo-Norman cuveitus, ultimately from Latin cupio meaning to desire or long for.
covetousness (English): Immoderate desire for the possession of...
Definitions
- Immoderate desire for the possession of...
Ancestry of “covetousness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | covetous | Extremely keen or desirous, especially to obtain... |
| 2 | Middle English | coveitous | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | cuveitus | — |
| 4 | Latin | cupiditās | — |
| 5 | Latin | -tās | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |