Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Covetous |
CovetousAdjective1. Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another's advantages; "he was never covetous before he met her"; "jealous of his success and covetous of his possessions"; "envious of their art collection"; "he was green with envy". 2. Immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth; "they are avaricious and will do anything for money"; "casting covetous eyes on his neighbor's fields"; "a grasping old miser"; "grasping commercialism"; "greedy for money and power"; "grew richer and greedier"; "prehensile employers stingy with raises for their employees". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "covetous" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1200. (references) |
Synonyms: CovetousSynonyms: avaricious (adj), envious (adj), grabby (adj), grasping (adj), greedy (adj), green (adj), jealous (adj), prehensile (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Envy | Adjective: envious, invidious, covetous; alieni appetens. |
Greed | Adjective: greedy, avaricious, covetous, acquisitive, grasping; rapacious; lickerish. |
Parsimony | Adjective: parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, close; fast handed, close handed, strait handed; close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted; tight, sparing; chary; grudging, griping; Verb: illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious. |
Selfishness | Illiberal, mean, ungenerous, narrow-minded; mercenary, venal; covetous. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Covetous |
| English words defined with "covetous": avaricious ♦ Closehanded ♦ envious ♦ Fast-handed ♦ grabby, grasping, greedy, green, Gripple ♦ Hard-fisted, Hunks ♦ jealous ♦ prehensile. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "covetous": CLOSE-FISTED, Covetous Man, CURMUDGEON ♦ GREEDY GUTS ♦ Rascal Counters. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "covetous": Fast-handed. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Horace | The covetous man is ever in want. |
Sallust | Covetous of others' possessions, he [Catiline] was prodigal of his own. |
Sir T. Browne | Be charitable before wealth makes thee covetous. |
St. John Chrysostom | The idea we should have of the rich and covetous -- they are truly as robbers who, standing in the public highway, despoil the passersby. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| "Covetous" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 96.00% of the time. "Covetous" is used about 25 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 96% | 24 | 71,196 |
| Noun (proper) | 4% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 25 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "covetous": be covetous of ♦ be covetous of smth. ♦ covetous of. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| Language | Translations for "covetous"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | ziliqar (envious, jealous), neqez (miser, stingy), lakmues (avid, desirous, gluttonous, indicator), lakmitar (greedy, hoggish, lickerish, predatory). (various references) | |
Arabic | مشته لملك غيره, طامع (avid, greedy, ravening). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | скъпернически (avaricious, mean, mingy, miser, miserly, penurious, shabby, stingy), хищен (accipitrine, predacious, predatory, rapacious, raptorial, vulturous), ненаситен (avid, craving, grasping, greedy, insatiable, insatiate, ravenous, sateless, slakeless, voracious), алчен (accumulative, acquisitive, avid, eager, gloating, grasping, having, miserly, moneygrubbing, rapacious, sordid). (various references) | |
Chinese | 贪婪 (Acquisitive, Acquisitiveness, Avarice, grabby, greed, greedy, rapacious), 亄 (greedy). (various references) | |
Czech | chamtivý (avaricious, grasping, greedy, rapacious), žádostivý (desirous, hungry). (various references) | |
Farsi | ازمند (Avaricious, Avid, Cormorant, Greedy). (various references) | |
Finnish | himoinen (addicted to, greedy). (various references) | |
French | avide de convoitise. (various references) | |
German | begehrlich (covetously, desirous). (various references) | |
Greek | εποφθαλμιών (coveter), άπληστοσ (acquisitive, avid, cormorant, greedy, insatiable, rapacious, voracious). (various references) | |
Hebrew | חומ", צר עין (envious, mean, mingy, miser). (various references) | |
Hungarian | mohó (avaricious, avid, be greedy, concupisible, eager, esurient, gluttonous, grasping, greedy, piggy, to gloat over sg, voracious), kapzsi (acquisitive, avaricious, avariciously, avid, eager for gain, extortionate, grasping, greedy, have an itching palm, rapacious), pénzsóvár (avaricious, greedy, mammonist, mercenary), mohón vágyakozó, mohón vágyó. (various references) | |
Indonesian | kemaruk (greedy, ravenous). (various references) | |
Italian | desideroso (agog, desirous, eager, hungry, longing, wishful, yearning), bramoso (acquisitive, avid, eager, greedy, hungry, longing, lustful, wishful, yearning), avido (acquisitive, athirst, avid, eager, grasping, greedy, hungry, thirsty, voracious). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 愛着 (attachment, covetous affection, love), 愛執 (attachment, covetous affection), 小欲 (only slightly covetous). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | しょうよく (a little covetousness, only slightly covetous), あいしゅう (attachment, covetous affection, grief, pathos, sorrow), あいじゃく (attachment, covetous affection, love), あいちゃく (attachment, covetous affection, love). (various references) | |
Korean | 탐욕스러운 (Avid, Voracious). (various references) | |
Manx | sondagh (avaricious, close-fisted, greedy, miser, selfish, sordid), sayntoil (lustful), sayntagh (acquisitive, avaricious, grasping, hungry as eye; too deep, hungry; too deep, lustful). (various references) | |
Norwegian | begjærlig (hungrily). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ovetouscay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | cobiçoso (acquisitive, eager, greedy), avaro (avaricious, mean, miser, miserly, narrow-fisted, stingy, tight, tight-fisted), ambicioso (ambitious, aspiring, greedy, pushful). (various references) | |
Romanian | zgârcit (accumulator, avaricious, cheese paring, churlish, clenched, close, close-fisted, close-handed, costive, curmudgeon, grasping, hunks, illiberal, iron-fisted, mean, miser, miserly, money grubber, muckworm, parsimonious, penny father, penny-wise, penurious, screw, skimpy, skin, skinflint, sparing, stingy, tight), râvnitor (covetously, eager, zealous), pizmaş (envier, envious, hostile, malevolent, malicious, spiteful, yellow), lacom (avid, craving, devouringly, edacious, esurient, glutton, gluttonous, greedy, hoggish, hungry, insatiable, lickerish, open mouthed, piggish, rapacious, ravenous, voracious, wishful, wolfish), jinduitor, invidios (envious, enviously, grudging, jealous, malevolent, malicious, yellow), foarte doritor, acaparator (absorbing, accumulator, acquisitive, buyer-up, engrossing, food hoarder, forestalling, grabber, grasping, greedy, money making, money-grabbing, monopolizer, predatory). (various references) | |
Russian | завистливый (envious, jaundiced, jealous, yellow), жадный (avaricious, avid, edacious, esurient, glutton, grasping, greedy, hoggish, insatiable, large-handed, locust, mingy, open mouthed, piggish, rapacious, ravenous, sharp-set, voracious), алчный (acquisitive, avaricious, avid, eager, greedy). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | gramziv (acquisitive, rapacious), žudan (avid, craving, desirous, hungry, keen, longing), željan (avid, craving, desirous, eager, keen, wishful). (various references) | |
Spanish | codicioso (acquisitive, avaricious, eager, greedy, mammonish). (various references) | |
Swedish | vinningslysten (greedy, mercenary), sniken (acquisitive, avaricious, eager, greedy). (various references) | |
Thai | ที่มีความอยากไ"้. (various references) | |
Turkish | istekli (agog, ambitious, anxious, applicant, aspirant, athirst for, cheerful, dead set, desirous, devout, disposed, eager, enthusiastic, forward, full of zeal, hellbent, inclinable, inclined, intense, intent, itching, itchy, keen, minded, ready, solicitous, strong, thirsty, voracious, willing, wishful, wistful), hırslı (ambitious, angry, avid, competitive, greedy, greedy for, high-flying, impassioned, passionate, uptight, voracious), açgözlü (acquisitive, avid, esurient, grabber, grasping, greedy, hoggish, insatiable, open mouthed, piggish, piglike, rapacious, ravenous, voracious, vulturine, vulturous, wolfish), aç (empty, esurient, greedy for, hollow, hungry, ravenous, starveling, unfed). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | скупий (chary, cheeseparing, churlish, clam, close-fisted, gripping, grudging, hard-fisted, illiberal, mean-spirited, mingy, miserly, narrow, near, nigh, parsimonious, penny-pinching, saving, scant, screwy, scrimpy, skimpy, snippy, split-farthing, stingy, tight-fisted), зажерливий (avaricious), жадібний (acquisitive, avaricious, avid, edacious, esurient, grasping, greedy, open mouthed, piggish, rapacious). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | thèm thu"ng, thèm muốn tham lam. (various references) | |
Welsh | trachwantus (greedy). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | appetentes, avare, avari, avaris, avaro, avarus. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Luke Chapter 16, Verse 14 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Hkouon de tauta panta kai oi farisaioi filarguroi uparconteV kai exemukthrizon auton |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Audiebant autem omnia haec Pharisaei qui erant avari et deridebant illum |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | þas ðing ealle þa farisei gehyrdon þa ðe gifre wæron. and hig hine tældon; |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | But the Farisees, that weren coueytous, herden alle these thingis, and thei scorneden hym. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | All these thinges herde the pharises also which were coveteous and they mocked him. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And the Pharisees, who had a great love of money, hearing these things, were making sport of him. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Luke Chapter 16, Verse 14 |
| Cebuano | Ug ang mga Fariseo, nga mga mahigugmaon sa salapi, nakadungog niining tanan ug sila nangyam-id kaniya. |
| Croatian | Sve su to slušali farizeji, srebroljupci, i rugali mu se. |
| Danish | Men alt dette hørte Farisæerne, som vare pengegerrige, og de spottede ham. |
| Dutch | En al deze dingen hoorden ook de Farizeen, die geldgierig waren, en zij beschimpten Hem. |
| Finnish | Tämän kaiken kuulivat fariseukset, jotka olivat rahanahneita, ja he ivasivat häntä. |
| French | Les pharisiens, qui étaient avares, écoutaient aussi tout cela, et ils se moquaient de lui. |
| German | Das alles hörten die Pharisäer auch, und waren geizig, und spotteten sein. |
| Hungarian | Hallák pedig mindezeket a farizeusok is, kik pénzszeretõk valának; és csúfolák õt. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Orang-orang Farisi mendengar semua yang dikatakan oleh Yesus. Lalu mereka menertawakan-Nya, sebab mereka suka uang. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Apabila orang Parisi, yang memang loba akan uang, mendengar segala perkataan itu, lalu diolok-olokkannya Yesus. |
| Italian | I farisei, che erano attaccati al denaro, ascoltavano tutte queste cose e si beffavano di lui. |
| Maori | A ko nga Parihi, he hunga apoapo moni, i rongo ki enei mea katoa: a ka whakahi ratou ki a ia. |
| Norwegian | Fariseerne, som var pengekjære, hørte på alt dette, og de spottet ham. |
| Portuguese | Os fariseus, que eram gananciosos, ouviam todas essas coisas e zombavam dele. |
| Rumanian | Fariseii, cari erau iubitori de bani, ascultau wi ei toate lucrurile acestea, wi kwi bqteau joc de El. |
| Russian | уМЩЫБМЙ ЧУЈ ЬФП Й ЖБТЙУЕЙ, ЛПФПТЩЕ 'ЩМЙ УТЕ'ТПМА'ЙЧЩ, Й ПОЙ УНЕСМЙУШ ОБ" оЙН. |
| Shuar | Pariséusha Kuítian anen armia nu, Ashí ni Táman antukar Jesusan wishikrarmiayi. |
| Spanish | Los fariseos, que eran avaros, oían todas estas cosas y se burlaban de él. |
| Swahili | Lakini Mafarisayo waliposikia hayo, kwa vile wao walikuwa wanapenda sana fedha, wakamdharau Yesu. |
| Swedish | Allt detta hörde nu fariséerna, som voro penningkära, och de drevo då gäck med honom. |
| Uma | To Parisi mpo'epe hawe'ea lolita Yesus toe. Rapotawai lau-i-wadi, apa' hira' toe-mi to mpokahina doi. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "covetous": covetously, covetousness, covetousnesses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Covetous" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cavitous, convetous, coventous, coveteous, covetnous, covetus. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| Words rhyming with "covetous" (pronounced 'Cov"et*ous'): Abdominous, Abiogenous, Ablatitious, Abnormous, Absentaneous, Absonous, Abstemious, Abstentious, Abstractitious, Acanthaceous, Acanthocarpous, Acanthocephalous, Acanthophorous, Acanthopodious, Acanthopterous, Acanthopterygious, Acarpellous, Acarpous, Acclivitous, Acclivous, Acephalous, Acetabuliferous, Acetarious, Acetous, Achilous, Achlamydeous, Acholous, Achromatous, Achroous, Achylous, Achymous, Acidiferous, Acidulous, Acinaceous, Acotyledonous, Acrimonious, Acrocarpous, Acrogenous, Acronyctous, Acrosporous, Acrotomous, Actinophorous, Aculeous, Acuminous, Addititious, Adelphous, Adenophorous, Adenophyllous, Adenous, Adiaphorous. (additional references) |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-o-o-s-t-u-v" | |
-2 letters: covets. | |
-3 letters: coots, coset, cotes, coves, covet, cutes, escot, scoot, scout, scute, stove, touse, voces, votes. | |
-4 letters: coos, coot, cost, cote, cots, cove, cues, cute, cuts, ecus, oots, oust, outs, scot, scut, sect, soot, suet, toes, vest, veto, vets, voes, vote. | |
-5 letters: coo, cos, cot, cue, cut, ecu, oes, oot, ose, out, sec, set. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-o-o-s-t-u-v" | |
+1 letter: outvoices. | |
+2 letters: convolutes, covetously, overcounts. | |
+4 letters: coevolutions, countermoves, covetousness, equivocators, overcautions, overcautious, overdiscount, provocateurs. | |
+5 letters: equivocations, insectivorous, overconstruct, overdiscounts, overdocuments. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Familiar 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Translations: Ancient 10. Bible Trace 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
