avarice

noun ah-vah-REES Rare

Origin: Latin avaritia, greed

Also means

greed

Usage Note

Avarice denotes an excessive love of money or reluctance to spend; it is stronger than économie (thrift) and closer to cupidité (cupidity). The adjective avare (miserly) shares the root, and the classic literary miser is Molière's L'Avare. The phrase d'une avarice sordide conveys extreme tightfistedness.

Examples

"Son avarice l'empêchait de faire des cadeaux."

Natural Translation

His avarice prevented him from giving gifts.

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