Avariciousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition marked by an unquenchable yearning for wealth and possessions
2. The characteristic of having an intense desire to acquire and hoard riches without satisfaction
3. A state where one's craving for money and goods is excessive and never fulfilled

Etymology: Avariciousness is simply avaricious with the suffix "-ness" attached, and the suffix does the real work of turning an adjective into a noun for a quality. The adjective "avaricious" came into English from the Latin "avaritia," meaning greed, and that Latin noun was itself built from "avere," to crave or desire. English "-ness" has a much longer history of its own: it descends from Old English "-nes," a suffix that has been forming abstract nouns from adjectives since the earliest recorded English. Put together, the formation is transparent. "Avaricious" describes a person who is greedy, and "avariciousness" names the state or quality of being so. The suffix is productive, meaning English speakers can attach it to almost any adjective, so the word is less a fixed item than a pattern applied to a familiar root.

Synonyms: greed, covetousness

Antonyms: generosity, selflessness