cupidity

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /kjuˈpɪdɪti/ UK /kjuːˈpɪdɪti/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
excessive greed for wealth or possessions

His cupidity drove him to cheat his own partners.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · excessive greed for wealth... greed avarice covetousness rapacityacquisitiveness

Opposites

generosity liberality altruism

Word family

Related forms cupid concupiscence covet

Simplified etymology

Cupidity entered English in the late Middle Ages and derives from the same Latin source as Cupid’s name, meaning “desire.”

Etymology

From Latin cupiditas ('eager desire, greed'), from cupidus ('desirous, eager'), from cupere ('to desire, long for').

cupiditas Latin cupere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# cupidity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kjuˈpɪdɪti/
**IPA (UK):** /kjuːˈpɪdɪti/

## Meanings
1. excessive greed for wealth or possessions

## Examples
- His cupidity drove him to cheat his own partners.

## Synonyms
- greed
- avarice
- covetousness
- rapacity
- acquisitiveness

## Antonyms
- generosity
- liberality
- altruism

## Related Forms
- cupid
- concupiscence
- covet

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cupiditas
- Root: cupere

## Etymology
From Latin cupiditas ('eager desire, greed'), from cupidus ('desirous, eager'), from cupere ('to desire, long for').

## AI Etymology
Cupidity is from Latin cupiditas ('eager desire, greed'), from cupidus ('desirous, eager'), from cupere ('to desire, long for'). The ancestry passes through Latin cupiditas and Latin cupere. In present use as a noun, it means "excessive greed for wealth or possessions", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include cupid, concupiscence, and covet. Its contrast set includes generosity, liberality, and altruism, which clarifies the semantic boundary of the modern word.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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