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CACOETHES

 - 3 dictionary results

cac⋅o⋅ë⋅thes

  [kak-oh-ee-theez]
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–noun
an irresistible urge; mania.
Also, cac⋅o⋅e⋅thes.

Origin:
1555–65; < L < Gk kakóēthes, neut. (used as n.) of kakothēs malignant, lit., of bad character; see caco-, ethos
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cac·o·ë·thes   (kāk'ō-ē'thēz)   
n.  An irresistible compulsion; a mania.

[Latin cacoēthes, from neuter of Greek kakoēthēs, ill-disposed : kakos, bad; see kakka- in Indo-European roots + ēthos, disposition; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cacoethes 
"itch for doing something," 1563, from L., from Gk. kakoethes "ill-habit," from kakos "bad" + ethe- "disposition, character" (see ethos). Most famously, in Juvenal's insanabile scribendi cacoethes "incurable passion for writing."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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