Avarice

Avarice
Avarice
The inordinate love for riches

Catholic Encyclopedia. . 2006.

Avarice
    Avarice
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Avarice
    Avarice (from Lat. avarus, "greedy"; "to crave") is the inordinate love for riches. Its special malice, broadly speaking, lies in that it makes the getting and keeping of money, possessions, and the like, a purpose in itself to live for. It does not see that these things are valuable only as instruments for the conduct of a rational and harmonious life, due regard being paid of course to the special social condition in which one is placed. It is called a capital vice because it has as its object that for the gaining or holding of which many other sins are committed. It is more to be dreaded in that it often cloaks itself as a virtue, or insinuates itself under the pretext of making a decent provision for the future. In so far as avarice is an incentive to injustice in acquiring and retaining of wealth, it is frequently a grievous sin. In itself, however, and in so far as it implies simply an excessive desire of, or pleasure in, riches, it is commonly not a mortal sin.
    JOSEPH F. DELANY
    Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

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  • avarice — [ avaris ] n. f. • 1265; averice 1121; lat. avaritia → avare ♦ Vx Attachement excessif à l argent, passion d accumuler, de retenir les richesses. ⇒ avidité, cupidité, ladrerie, lésine. ♢ Mod. Une avarice sordide. ⇒ pingrerie, radinerie. « L… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • avarice — Avarice, Brusler d avarice, Auaritia ardere. Bruslant et baaillant d avarice, Auaritia hiante homo. Regner en avarice et en cruauté sur ses subjects, Auare atque acerbe imperare. Sec d avarice, Aridus homo. Une avarice merveilleuse, Profunda… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • avarice — AVARICE. s. fém. Attachement excessif aux richesses. Avarice insatiable. Avarice sordide Il se plaint tout par avarice, par pure avarice. Son avarice le fait vivre dans une épargne sordide …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • avarice — Avarice. sub. f. Trop grand attachement aux richesses. Avarice sordide. avarice insatiable. sale avarice. par pure avarice …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Avarice — Av a*rice ([a^]v [.a]*r[i^]s), n. [F. avaritia, fr. avarus avaricious, prob. fr. av[=e]re to covet, fr. a root av to satiate one s self: cf. Gr. a menai, a^sai, to satiate, Skr. av to satiate one s self, rejoice, protect.] 1. An excessive or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • avarice — c.1300, from O.Fr. avarice greed, covetousness (12c.), from L. avaritia greed, from avarus greedy, adj. form of avere crave, long for …   Etymology dictionary

  • avarice — index greed Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • avarice — greed, *cupidity, rapacity Analogous words: avariciousness, covetousness, acquisitiveness (see corresponding adjectives at COVETOUS): stinginess, niggardliness, miserliness, parsimoniousness (see corresponding adjectives at STINGY) Antonyms:… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • avarice — [n] extreme greed avidity, close fistedness*, covetousness, cupidity, frugality, grabbiness, greediness, miserliness, niggardliness, parsimony, pennypinching*, penuriousness, rapacity, stinginess, thrift; concepts 335,410 Ant. generosity,… …   New thesaurus

  • avarice — ► NOUN ▪ extreme greed for wealth or material gain. DERIVATIVES avaricious adjective. ORIGIN from Latin avarus greedy …   English terms dictionary

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