lust

Etymology

From Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Icelandic lyst, Old Norse losti, Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (lustus), and perhaps to Sanskrit लष् (laṣ), लषति (laṣati, “to desire”) and Albanian lushë (“bitch, savage dog, promiscuous woman”), or to English loose. Confer list (“to please”), listless.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lʌst/
• Rhymes: -ʌst

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

lust (countable and uncountable, plural lusts)

1. A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.

   Seeing Kim fills me with a passionate lust.

2. (archaic) A general want or longing, not necessarily sexual.

   The boarders hide their lust to go home.

   • Spenser

     For little lust had she to talk of aught.

   • Bishop Hall

     My lust to devotion is little.

3. (archaic) A delightful cause of joy, pleasure.

   An ideal son is his father's lasting lust.

4. (obsolete) virility; vigour; active power
   • Francis Bacon

     Trees will grow greater, and bear better fruit, if you put salt, or lees of wine, or blood, to the root: the cause may be the increasing the lust or spirit of the root.

Verb

lust (third-person singular simple present lusts, present participle lusting, simple past and past participle lusted)

1. (intransitive, usually in the phrase "lust after") To look at or watch with a strong desire, especially of a sexual nature.

   He was lusting after the woman in the tight leather miniskirt.

Anagrams

• UTSL, slut, ults

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lʏst/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʏst

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch lust, from Old Dutch *lust, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz.

Etymology 2

See etymology on the main entry.

Etymology

From Middle Low German lust. Cognate to German Lust and Finnish lusti

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlusʲt/

Noun

lust (genitive lusti, partitive lusti)

1. pleasure, fun, joy, lust (non-sexual)

   Nad teevad seda niisama lusti pärast.

   They're doing it just for fun.

Etymology

From Old Dutch *lust, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz.

Noun

lust m, f

1. enjoyment, pleasure
2. lust, desire
3. hunger, desire to eat

Further reading

• “lust”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “lust (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lustuz.

Noun

lust m

1. desire, pleasure, appetite, lust

   Him wæs metes micel lust: he had a craving for food. (Ælfric's Homilies)

Etymology

From Old Norse losti (late Old Norse lyst), from Middle Low German lust lüst, lyst, from Old Saxon lust, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

lust c

1. (uncountable) lust (a mood of desire), joy, a keen interest

   jag har ingen lust att läsa idag

   I don't feel like reading today

2. a desire (for something specific)