covet

verb (used with object)

to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property.

to wish for, especially eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.

verb (used without object)

to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English coveiten < Anglo-French coveiter, Old French coveit(i)er < Vulgar Latin *cupidiētāre, verbal derivative of *cupidiētās, for Latin cupititās cupidity

Related forms

cov·et·a·ble, adjective

cov·et·er, noun

cov·et·ing·ly, adverb

un·cov·et·ed, adjective

un·cov·et·ing, adjective

Synonyms
1. See envy.

Antonyms
1. renounce.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

covet (ˈkʌvɪt)

—vb , -vets, -veting, -veted
	to wish, long, or crave for (something, esp the property of another person)

[C13: from Old French coveitier, from coveitié eager desire, ultimately from Latin cupiditācupidity]

'covetable

—*adj*

'coveter

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

covet

early 13c., from O.Fr. coveitier, probably ult. from L. cupiditas "passionate desire," from cupidus "very desirous," from cupere "long for, desire."

Example sentences

Local governments, however, do not covet the existing authority for reducing

water demands.

Because of their scale and broad range of unique properties, biologists covet

their use.

He brings a charisma and a consumer attraction that marketers covet.

Teaching time is a distinctly personal investment for teachers and they tend to

covet it.

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Related Words

envy Tenth Commandment covetous

covetous desire

Matching Quote

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work -you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

-unknown author