Covet

v. Forms: 3 cuueiten, 3–6 coueite, -eyte, 4 coveite, 4–6 -eyte, (5 koueyte, coweyt, cuwet), 4 couaite, covayte, 4–5 covaite, (couette, 6 covette, coouet, couveyte, covate, Sc. cowait), 5–7 couet(e, 6– covet. [a. OF. cuveitier, coveiter (in 13th c. covoiter, mod.F. convoiter) = Pr. cobeitar, cubitar, It. cubitare:—L. type *cupiditāre, f. cupiditāt-em eager desire, CUPIDITY, f. cupĕre to desire, covet.]

  1.  trans. To desire; esp. to desire eagerly, to wish for, long for. a. with material obj.

c. 1325.  Coer de L., 4763. Though thou gold coveyte.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter i. 1. He is blisful til whaim all thynge comes þat he couaites.

c. 1490.  Promp. Parv., 96 (MS. K). Coweytyn, cupio, opto.

1634.  Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 98. The Ganymed Boyes goe vp and downe with flaggons of wine, and fill to those that couet it.

1732.  Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet, 306. They covet subacid Liquors, and abhor fat and oily things.

a. 1839.  Praed, Poems (1864), I. 265. Fame shall twine for me in after days A wreath I covet not.

1862.  Ruskin, Munera P. (1880), 25. We are … apt to suppose that whatever is widely coveted … must be included in our definition of wealth.

  Proverb. All covet all lose.

1297.  R. Glouc. (1724), 306. Wo so coueyteþ al, al leseþ ywys.

1525.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. xxxvi. 108. They that all coueteth all leseth.

1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 141.

1678.  B. R., Letter Popish Friends, 3. All Covet, all Loose.

  b.  with immaterial obj.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter v. 11. Þe prophet couaitis noght þaire dampnacioun.

1483.  Caxton, G. de la Tour, I ij. She euer coueyted the pees and loue of her lord.

1548.  in Strype, Eccl. Mem., II. App. P. 48. We, coveting above al things the glory of God.

1611.  Bible, 1 Cor. xii. 31. Couet earnestly the best gifts.

1718.  Freethinker, No. 57. 12. If … you covet the Admiration of Others, you must learn not to Admire your Self.

1814.  Scott, Ld. of Isles, VI. xvii. The bliss on earth he covets most.

  c.  with inf. or inf. phrase.

c. 1325.  E. E. Allit. P., B. 1054. To be couþe in his courte þou coueytes þenne.

c. 1440.  Gesta Rom., xliv. 174 (Harl. MS.). The holy trenite, that coveytithe a man to be couplid to him by penaunce.

c. 1440.  York Myst., xxiii. 13. Longe haue ȝe coveyte for to kenne My fadir.

1545.  Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 102. Those be wiser men which couete to shoote wyde.

1653.  Walton, Angler, 133. To which place [the Sea] they [Salmon] covet to swim, by the instinct of nature.

1782.  Miss Burney, Cecilia (1882), I. 2. Her mind … coveted to regain its serenity.

1860.  Lit. Churchman, VI. 169/1. Many a person … has coveted to imitate the example.

  d.  absol.

c. 1340.  Cursor M., 24639 (Fairf.). Ne for to couette was me na bote.

  e.  fig. Said of things.

c. 1450.  St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 272. Sene it is in ald sawe, Þat kynde coueyts ay his lawe.

1577.  B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., I. (1586), 33 b. Two sortes of Pease, the one sort coveteth to climbe aloft, and runneth up uppon stickes.

1778.  W. Price, Min. Cornub., 27. A coarse Quartz, which is the most impure, and covets no particular form.

  † 2.  To desire with concupiscence or with fleshly appetite. Obs. (or merged in 3).

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 60. Cuueiten mon, oðer haben wille uorte beon iwilned of mon: bo beoð heaued sunne.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 262. Concupiscence … maketh hym coueite by coueitise of flesshly synne by sighte of hise eyen.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 13820. Þi hegh lust, Þat þou couetus vnkyndly to couple with me.

1483.  Caxton, G. de la Tour, C v b. Sychem … sawe her so faire that he coueyted her.

1577.  B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. (1586), 138 b. The Rammes … rather covet the olde Ewes, then the young.

  † b.  To desire to eat; to hanker after as food.

1634.  Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 10. These barbarous Anzigui couet their friends, whom they imbowell with a greedy delight.

  3.  To desire culpably; to long for (what belongs to another). (The ordinary sense.)

a. 1300.  Little Cato, xxvii. Oþer mennes þing with wronge Coueyte hit nouȝt in herte.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter ix. 14. Þat thynge þat þai wickedly couaited.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 670. Coueitise is for to coueite swiche thynges as thou hast nat … with-out rightful nede.

1477.  Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 27. To coueyte that that he may not haue.

1611.  Bible, Ex. xx. 17. Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife, nor his man seruant, nor his maid seruant, nor his oxe, nor his asse, nor any thing that is thy neighbours.

1784.  Cowper, Task, V. 227. Industry in some To improve and cultivate their just demesne Made others covet what they saw so fair.

1832.  Austin, Jurispr. (1879), I. xxi. 450. If I wish for a watch hanging in a watchmaker’s window … I am guilty of coveting my neighbour’s goods (provided that the wish recur frequently).

  b.  absol.

1382.  Wyclif, Rom. vii. 7. Thou schalt not coueite.

c. 1440.  York Myst., xx. 190. The x^to [comaundment] biddis noȝt coveyte.

1611.  Bible, Prov. xxi. 26. Hee coueteth greedily all the day long.

1784.  Cowper, Task, VI. 772. The garden … needs no fence, For there is none to covet, all are full.

  c.  with inf. Obs. or arch.

c. 1400.  Maundev. (Roxb.), vi. 19. He … was puysound thurgh anoþer þat coueited to be sowdan.

1535.  Coverdale, Micah ii. 2. When they covet to haue londe, they take it by violence.

1601.  R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw. (1603), 17. Enuying the greatnes of Charles the Emperour, and coueting to surpasse him.

  † 4.  intr. a. To lust. Obs.

1382.  Wyclif, Gal. v. 17. The fleisch coueitith [Vulg. concupiscit] aȝen the spirit, sothli the spirit aȝens the fleisch.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Pars. T., ¶ 385. The flessh coueiteth agayn the spirit.

  † b.  To have inordinate or culpable desire for, after. Obs.

1509.  Hawes, Past. Pleas., XVI. lx. To coveyte for it [golde or sylver] doth aryse Onely engendered upon the melancholy.

1591.  Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., V. iv. 145. Ile rather keepe That which I haue, than coueting for more Be cast from possibility of all.

1611.  Bible, 1 Tim. vi. 10. The loue of money is the root of all euill, which while some coueted after, they haue erred from the faith.

  † c.  To have an inclination or drawing to. Obs.

1520.  Whitinton, Vulg. (1527), 6 b. A fysshe in spaw[n]ynge tyme wyl coueyte to the calme water.