covet

English

Etymology

From Middle English coveten, coveiten, coveyten, from Old French covoitier (modern French convoiter), from covoitié (“desire”), presumably modified from Latin cupiditas.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈkʌvɪt/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -ʌvɪt

Verb

covet (third-person singular simple present covets, present participle coveting, simple past and past participle coveted)

(transitive) To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.
- 1991, Ted Tally, The Silence of the Lambs (motion picture), spoken by Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins):
  No! He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
(transitive) To long for inordinately or unlawfully; to hanker after (something forbidden).
(intransitive) To yearn; to have or indulge an inordinate desire, especially for another's possession.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

to wish for with eagerness

Arabic: طَمُعَ (ar) (ṭamuʕa), طَمِعَ (ar) (ṭamiʕa), جَشِعَ (jašiʕa)
Azerbaijani: tamah salmaq
Bulgarian: жадувам (bg) (žaduvam)
Burmese: မက် (my) (mak)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 貪むさぼ求もとむ／贪求 (zh) (tānqiú), 貪むさぼ圖ず／贪图 (zh) (tāntú), 渴望かつぼう (zh) (kěwàng), 垂涎すいぜん (zh) (chuíxián)
Danish: begære
Dutch: begeren (nl), hunkeren (nl), verlangen (nl), smachten (nl) (naar)
Esperanto: deziri
Finnish: himoita (fi)
French: convoiter (fr), désirer (fr)
Galician: cobizar (gl), desexar (gl), devecer (gl), degorar (gl), gorar (gl), bremar
German: begehren (de)
Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gairnjan)
Greek:
Ancient Greek: ἐπぱいῐθしーたῡμέω (epithūméō)
Hebrew: חמד (he) (chamad)
Italian: concupire (it), bramare (it)
Japanese: 切望せつぼうする (ja) (せつぼうする, setsubō suru), 貪むさぼる (ja) (むさぼる, musaboru), 欲張よくばる (ja) (よくばる, okubaru)
Latin: concupio
Malayalam: കൊതിക്കുക (ml) (kotikkuka)
Maori: taiapo, kōhaehae, kaiapo
Marathi: अभिलाषणे (abhilāṣṇe), लालचणे (lālacṇe), लालचावणे (lālcāvṇe), लालुचणे (lālucṇe)
Norwegian: attrå, ønske sterkt
Old English: wilnian
Polish: pożądać (pl)
Portuguese: desejar (pt), cobiçar (pt)
Romanian: râvni, dori, jindui (ro), ochi (ro)
Russian: жажда́ть (ru) impf (žaždátʹ), си́льно жела́ть impf (sílʹno želátʹ)
Sanskrit: गृध्यति (sa) (gṛdhyati)
Serbo-Croatian: žudjeti (sh), žuditi (sh), žudeti (sh)
Slovak: mať zálusk (na niečo)
Spanish: desear (es), codiciar (es)
Swedish: begära (sv)
Tagalog: imbutin
Turkish: imrenmek (tr)

to long for inordinately or unlawfully

Chinese:
Cantonese: 覬覦／觊觎 (gei³ jyu⁴)
Dutch: begeren (nl), lonken (nl)
French: convoiter (fr), guigner (fr)
Maori: taiapo, kaiapo
Romanian: râvni, tânji
Russian: жажда́ть (ru) impf (žaždátʹ), си́льно жела́ть impf (sílʹno želátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: hlepiti (sh)

to have or indulge inordinate desire

Bulgarian: пожелавам (bg) (poželavam)
Dutch: lusten (nl), smachten (nl)
Finnish: himoita (fi)
German: sehnen (de)
Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍉𐌽 (bifaihōn)
Maori: monoa, monowa, kōhaehae
Russian: жажда́ть (ru) impf (žaždátʹ), домога́ться (ru) impf (domogátʹsja), си́льно жела́ть impf (sílʹno želátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: žuditi (sh), žudjeti (sh), žudeti (sh)
Swedish: sukta (sv)
Turkish: gözü kalmak (tr) (for another's possession)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

German: ^{(please verify)} begehren (de), ^{(please verify)} ersehnen (de)
Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} girnast, ^{(please verify)} ágirnast (is)
Latin: ^{(please verify)} appeto (la), ^{(please verify)} concupisco
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} codiciar (es), ^{(please verify)} envidiar (es)