cacoëthes

noun

caco·​ë·​thes ˌka-kə-ˈwē-(ˌ)thēz 

-kō-ˈē-

: an insatiable desire : mania

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin cacoēthes "malignant tumor at an early stage, disease of character," borrowed from Greek kakóēthes "malignancy, wickedness," noun derivative from neuter of kakoḗthēs "ill-disposed, malicious, (of things) abominable, (of tumors, fevers, etc.) malignant," from kako- caco- + -ēthēs, adjective derivative of êthos "custom, disposition, character" — more at ethos

Note: Use of the word in the sense "insatiable desire" is largely dependent on an oft-quoted line by the Roman satirist Juvenal: "tenet insanabile multos scribendi cacoethes" ("the incurable disease of writing takes hold of many").

First Known Use

circa 1587, in the meaning defined above