greed

Definition

A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.

Etymology

c. 1600. Back-formation from greedy.

Example Sentences

• "His greed was his undoing."
• "[…]But when I had bestridden the plank, quoth I to myself, "Thou deserveth all that betideth thee. All this is decreed to me of Allah (whose name be exalted!), to turn me from my greed of gain, whence ariseth all that I endure, for I have wealth galore.""
• "Your market gardener is not a well-breeched man, dependant as he is on the imponderables of glut, the inequities of distribution, and the greeds of wholesaler and retailer."

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