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lly an inordinate or sinful desire, as for the gratification of the sexual appetite or of covetousness; -- often with after. Whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Deut. xii. 15. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matt. v. 28. The spirit that dwelleth in u…

A covetous, grasping, mean person; esp., one having wealth, who lives miserably for the sake of saving and increasing his hoard. As some lone miser, visiting his store, Bends at his treasure, counts, recounts it o'er. Goldsmith.

Like a miser; very covetous; sordid; niggardly.

Covetousness; niggardliness; avarice. [Obs.]

Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish. A very narrow and stinted charity. Smalridge.

A person meanly close and covetous; one who spends grudgingly; a stingy, parsimonous fellow; a miser. Chaucer. A penurious niggard of his wealth. Milton. Be niggards of advice on no pretense. Pope.

Meanly covetous or avarcious in dealing with others; stingy; niggard. Where the owner of the house will be bountiful, it is not for the steward to be niggardly. Bp. Hall.

Niggardly. [Obs.] Covetous gathering and niggardous keeping. Sir T. More.

To spare; to be niggardly; to be covetous. Gower. The wretch whom avarice bids to pinch and spare. Franklin. To pinch at, to find fault with; to take exception to. [Obs.] Chaucer.

regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise. A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices. 2 Pet. ii. 14.

of bitter in the medicine. Also used figuratively. So quickly they have taken a smack in covetousness. Robynson (More's Utopia). They felt the smack of this world. Latimer.

Meanly avaricious; covetous; niggardly. He may be old, And yet sordid, who refuses gold. Sir J. Denham.

Extremely close and covetous; meanly avaricious; niggardly; miserly; penurious; as, a stingy churl. A stingy, narrow-hearted fellow that had a deal of choice fruit, had not the heart to touch it till it began to be rotten. L'estrange.

untry, and keeps the poor from starving. Then he tameth his stacks of corn, which not his covetousness, but providence, hath reserved for time of need. Fuller.

ality of being worldly; a predominant passion for obtaining the good things of this life; covetousness; addictedness to gain and temporal enjoyments; worldly-mindedness.

To move with short, quick contortions; to move by twisting and squirming; like a worm. Covetousness will wriggle itself out at a small hole. Fuller. Wriggling his body to recover His seat, and cast his right leg over. Hudibras.