Covetousnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mental state influenced by a deep longing for material wealth or traits belonging to others
2. A powerful feeling of wanting to own possessions or qualities that belong to someone else
3. An intense wish to acquire belongings or characteristics that another person holds

Etymology: "Covetousnesses" is simply the plural of "covetousness," so it is the form of that noun, which came into English from Old French "covoitise," itself from Latin "cupiditia," a derivative of "cupere," meaning "to desire." Over the centuries the "covet" root sharpened from a neutral longing into the specifically sinful desire for what belongs to someone else, a shift reflected in its prominence in the Ten Commandments. The plural form is rare, because the abstract noun is normally used as a mass noun. It appears when writers want to treat separate instances of the vice as distinct acts, as in speaking of several greeds or desires within a single person or society.