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greedy - 4 dictionary results

greed⋅y

  [gree-dee]
Use greedy in a Sentence
–adjective, greed⋅i⋅er, greed⋅i⋅est.
1. excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth, profit, etc.; avaricious: the greedy owners of the company.
2. having a strong or great desire for food or drink.
3. keenly desirous; eager (often fol. by of or for): greedy for praise.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME gredy, OE grædig; c. ON grāthugr, Goth gredags

Related forms:
greed⋅i⋅ly, adverb
greed⋅i⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. grasping, rapacious, selfish. 1, 3. See avaricious. 2. ravenous, voracious, gluttonous, insatiable. 3. covetous, anxious.

Antonyms:
1. generous, unselfish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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greed·y   (grē'dē)   
adj.   greed·i·er, greed·i·est
  1. Excessively desirous of acquiring or possessing, especially wishing to possess more than what one needs or deserves.
  2. Wanting to eat or drink more than one can reasonably consume; gluttonous.
  3. Extremely eager or desirous: greedy for the opportunity to prove their ability.

[Middle English gredi, from Old English grǣdig; see gher-2 in Indo-European roots.]
greed'i·ly adv., greed'i·ness n.
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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Greedy

Greed"y\, a. [Compar. Greedier (-[i^]-[~e]r); superl. Greediest.] [OE. gredi, AS. gr?dig, gr?dig; akin to D. gretig, OS. gr?dag, OHG. gr?tag, Dan. graadig, OSw. gradig, gr?dig, Icel. gra?ugr, Goth. gr?dags greedy, gr?d?n to be hungry; cf. Skr. grdh to be greedy. Cf. Greed.]

1. Having a keen appetite for food or drink; ravenous; voracious; very hungry; -- followed by of; as, a lion that is greedy of his prey.

2. Having a keen desire for anything; vehemently desirous; eager to obtain; avaricious; as, greedy of gain.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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greedy 
O.E. grædig "voracious," also "covetous," from P.Gmc. *grædagaz (cf. O.S. gradag, O.N. graðr "greed, hunger"), from base *græduz (cf. Goth. gredus "hunger," O.E. grædum "eagerly"), cognate with Skt. grdh "to be greedy." In Gk., the word was philargyros, lit. "money-loving." Greed is 1609 back-formation. A Ger. word for it is habsüchtig, from haben "to have" + sucht "sickness, disease," with sense tending toward "passion for."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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