avaricious

Alternative forms

• avaritious (obsolete)
• avaricius (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French avaricieux, from avarice, from Latin avaritia (“greed”), from avarus (“greedy”), of avere (“crave, long for”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌævəˈɹɪʃəs/

Adjective

avaricious (comparative more avaricious, superlative most avaricious)

1. Actuated by avarice; extremely greedy for wealth or material gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.
   • Robert Montgomery Bird (1806-1854)

     In a word, he was called a hard, avaricious, rapacious man, whose chief business was to enrich himself...