Wednesday, January 13, 2010

New Word Wednesday

So remember how last week's word was 'vertiginous'? Well, turns out the same day I did that post I came across that same word in the new book I'm reading! Twice! And I felt so smart because I knew what it meant. I swear I'd never heard that word before, but maybe it's like when you get a new car and all of a sudden you become aware of all the cars that look just like yours and it seems like there's way more of them than there used to be. Anyway, my point is, I can already tell this is helping me 'grow' my vocabulary. And I'm actively trying to find new words now... gives me some motivation to read more. Now, onto today's word:

[av-uh-rish-uhs]

Adjective: Covetous, greedy, and rapacious share the sense of desiring to possess more of something than one already has or might in normal circumstances be entitled to. Avaricious often implies a pathological, driven greediness for money or other valuables and usually suggests a concomitant miserliness: the cheerless dwelling of an avaricious usurer. (from dictionary.com)

I think maybe Ebenezer Scrooge would be a perfect example of an avaricious character.

Seth actually asked me if I knew what this word meant one evening and we had to look it up. Oddly enough, it was just after our discussion about how I jokingly wanted to buy more stuff to review on my blog. Come on, I mean I may be covetous, but miserly? What do you people want from me?!

2 comments:

heidi said...

I spent a day trying to connect "Heidi", "avaricious" and "Karen's blog posts" in a clever, coherent way. I failed, but I certainly am greedy to consume more of your writing than normal circumstances would entitle me to!

In related news--on NPR they were talking about Americans' anger at the misuse of bank bailout money to give big bonuses to bank CEOs... they referred to "compensation avarice." Thought you might like that. :)

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