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prettygoodwordcupidity (kyoo-PID-i-tee) - n., extreme desire for something esp. wealth, greed; (obs.) lust.
This gets a little tangled -- the English word dates to the 15th century as Middle English cupidite, from Old French cupidité, from Latin cupiditās, strong desire, from cupere, to desire, which is also the root of Cupid, the Roman equivalent of the Greek minor god Eros, son of Aphrodite (he of the arrows of desire and hate). The greed for wealth meaning developed in English almost as soon as it entered the language, and the lust part eventually dropped away. Frankly, because of Cupid, I get tripped up and only remember the sexual desire meaning, and I assume I'm not alone in this, but really and truly the modern meaning is greed.
---L.
This gets a little tangled -- the English word dates to the 15th century as Middle English cupidite, from Old French cupidité, from Latin cupiditās, strong desire, from cupere, to desire, which is also the root of Cupid, the Roman equivalent of the Greek minor god Eros, son of Aphrodite (he of the arrows of desire and hate). The greed for wealth meaning developed in English almost as soon as it entered the language, and the lust part eventually dropped away. Frankly, because of Cupid, I get tripped up and only remember the sexual desire meaning, and I assume I'm not alone in this, but really and truly the modern meaning is greed.
---L.
