lust

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.

   Seeing Leslie fills me with a passionate lust.

2. 2
   noun

   A general want or longing, not necessarily sexual.

   The boarders hide their lust to go home.

3. 3
   noun

   A delightful cause of joy, pleasure.

   An ideal son is his father's lasting lust.

4. 4
   noun

   Virility; vigour; active power.

   It is reported, that Trees will grow greater, and beare better Fruit, if you put Salt, or Lees of Wine, or Bloud to the Root. The Cauſe may be the Encreaſing the Luſt or Spirit of the Root; […]

5. 5
   verb

   To look at or watch with a strong desire, especially of a sexual nature.

   He then thought that all the sins which he had ever committed were personified, and that they all cried out against him. One cried out, I am thy lust, with which thou formerly lustedst unlawfully, and against the precepts of God: […]

6. 6
   verb

   To desire.

   And I ſaye vnto you that helias ys come alredy / and they knewe hym nott: butt have done vnto him whatſoever they luſted.

7. 7
   noun

   self-indulgent sexual desire (personified as one of the deadly sins)

8. 8
   noun

   a strong sexual desire

Etymology

From Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Icelandic lyst, Old Norse losti, Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (lustus), and perhaps to Sanskrit लष् (laṣ), लषति (laṣati, “to desire”) and Albanian lushë (“bitch, savage dog, promiscuous woman”), or to English loose. Compare list (“to please”), listless.