English
avarice
Avarice comes from Old French avarice ‘greed’, from Latin aveō ‘to desire, wish or long for, crave, be eager’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to enjoy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-eh₁yetireconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaveō‘to desire, wish or long for, crave, be eager’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEavārus‘greedy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEavāritia‘a greedy desire for possessions or gain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avarice‘greed’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500avarice
- Englishearliest quotation 1788avarice
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to enjoy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-eh₁yetireconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaveō‘to desire, wish or long for, crave, be eager’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEavārus‘greedy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEavāritia‘a greedy desire for possessions or gain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avarice‘greed’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500avarice
- Englishearliest quotation 1788avarice
Earliest quotation: 1788, Publius pseudonym; Alexander Hamilton, Number XII: “By multiplying the means of gratification, by promoting the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’
love, audience, egg, ear, audit, aviation, obey, acoustic, oval, audible, anesthesia, ey, ovation, auspicious, avian, aural, aviator, otolaryngology, aviary, ocarina, 66 more
through Latin aveō ‘to desire, wish or long for, crave, be eager’
Today it means
noun Excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greed for wealth
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / avarice