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Very desirous; eager to obtain; -- used in a good sense. [Archaic] Covetous of wisdom and fair virtue. Shak. Covetous death bereaved us all, To aggrandize one funeral. Emerson.

In a covetous manner.

desire. [R.] When workmen strive to do better than well, They do confound their skill in covetousness. Shak.

An excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness after wealth; covetousness; cupidity. To desire money for its own sake, and in order to hoard it up, is avarice. Beattie.

Covetous; niggardly. Bp. Berkeley. "Closefisted contractors." Hawthorne.

Covetous; penurious; stingy; closefisted. -- Close"hand`ed*ness, n.

nor the extreme caution or closeness of Tiberius. Bacon. An affectation of closeness and covetousness. Addison.

A leader or chief; a conspicuous person, esp. a rich covetous person. [Obs.] All cobbing country chuffs, which make their bellies and their bags their god, are called rich cobs. Nash.

Eager or inordinate desire, especially for wealth; greed of gain; avarice; covetousness. With the feelings of political distrust were mingled those of cupidity and envy, as the Spaniard saw the fairest provinces of the south still in the hands of the accursed race of Ishmael. Prescott.

penalty. [Obs.] See In one's danger, below. You stand within his danger, do you not Shak. Covetousness of gains hath brought [them] in dangerof this statute. Robynson (More's Utopia).

Feeling desire; eagerly wishing; solicitous; eager to obtain; covetous. Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him. John xvi. 19. Be not desirous of his dainties. Prov. xxiii. 3.

Close-handed; close-fisted; covetous; avaricious. [Obs.] Bacon.

Avaricious; greedy of gain; covetous; close; miserly; as, he is a grasping man. -- Grasp"ing*ly, adv. -- Grasp"ing*ness, n.

Griping; greedy; covetous; tenacious. [Obs.] Spenser.

To be covetous or envious; to show discontent; to murmur; to complain; to repine; to be unwilling or reluctant. Grudge not one against another. James v. 9. He eats his meat without grudging. Shak.

Close-fisted; covetous; niggardly. Bp. Hall.

A covetous, sordid man; a miser; a niggard. Pray make your bargain with all the prudence and selfishness of an old hunks. Gray.

t, . . . though he may be induced, persuaded, prevailed upon, tempted. Paley. Let not the covetous desire of growing rich induce you to ruin your reputation. Dryden.

eediness of appetite that can not be satisfied or appeased; insatiability. The eye of the covetous hath a more particular insatiableness. Bp. Hall.

In an insatiable manner or degree; unappeasably. "Insatiably covetous." South.