| 释义 |
▪ I. covet, v.|ˈkʌvɪt|
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.
c1325Coer de L. 4763 Though thou gold coveyte. a1340Hampole Psalter i. 1 He is blisful til whaim all thynge comes þat he couaites. c1490Promp. Parv. 96 (MS. K) Coweytyn, cupio, opto. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 98 Boyes goe up and downe with flaggons of wine, and fill to those that covet it. 1732Arbuthnot Rules of Diet 306 They covet subacid Liquors, and abhor fat and oily things. a1839Praed Poems (1864) I. 265 Fame shall twine for me in after days A wreath I covet not. 1862Ruskin 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.
1297R. Glouc. (1724) 306 Wo so coueyoteþ al, al leseþ ywys. 1525Ld. Berners Froiss. II. xxxvi. 108 They that all coueteth all leseth. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 141 All couet, all loose: this comth oft in vre. But nought haue, nought loose: this is euer sure. 1678B. R. Letter Pop. Friends 3 All Covet, all Loose.
b. with immaterial obj.
a1340Hampole Psalter v. 11 Þe prophet couaitis noght þaire dampnacioun. 1483Caxton G. de la Tour I ij, She euer coueyted the pees and loue of her lord. 1548in Strype Eccl. Mem. II. App. P. 48 We, coveting above al things the glory of God. 1611Bible 1 Cor. xii. 31 Couet earnestly the best gifts. 1718Freethinker No. 57. 12 If..you covet the Admiration of Others, you must learn not to Admire your Self. 1814Scott Ld. of Isles vi. xvii, The bliss on earth he covets most.
c. with inf. or inf. phr.
c1325E.E. Allit. P. B. 1054 To be couþe in his courte þou coueytes þenne. c1440Gesta Rom. xliv. 174 (Harl. MS.) The holy trenite, that coveytithe a man to be couplid to him by penaunce. c1440York Myst. xxiii. 13 Longe haue ȝe coveyte for to kenne My fadir. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 102 Those be wiser men which couete to shoote wyde. 1653Walton Angler 133 To which place [the Sea] they [Salmon] covet to swim, by the instinct of nature. 1782F. Burney Cecilia (1882) I. 2 Her mind..coveted to regain its serenity. 1860Lit. Churchman VI. 169/1 Many a person..has coveted to imitate the example.
d. absol.
c1340Cursor M. 24639 (Fairf.) Ne for to couette was me na bote.
e. fig. Said of things.
c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 272 Sene it is in ald sawe, Þat kynde coueyts ay his lawe. 1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 33 b, Two sortes of Pease, the one sort coveteth to climbe aloft, and runneth up uppon stickes. 1778W. 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).
a1225Ancr. R. 60 Cuueiten mon, oðer haben wille uorte beon iwilned of mon: bo beoð heaued sunne. c1386Chaucer Pars. T. ⁋262 Concupiscence..maketh hym coueite by coueitise of flesshly synne by sighte of hise eyen. c1400Destr. Troy 13820 Þi hegh lust, Þat þou couetus vnkyndly to couple with me. 1483Caxton G. de la Tour C v b, Sychem..sawe her so faire that he coueyted her. 1577B. 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.
1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 10 These barbarous Angiqui covet their friends, whom they unbowell with a greedy delight.
3. To desire culpably; to long for (what belongs to another). (The ordinary sense.)
a1300Little Cato xxvii, Oþer mennes þing with wronge Coueyte hit nouȝt in herte. a1340Hampole Psalter ix. 14 Þat thynge þat þai wickedly couaited. c1386Chaucer Pars. T. ⁋670 Coueitise is for to coueite swiche thynges as thou has nat..with-out rightful nede. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 27 To coueyte that that he may not haue. 1611Bible Ex. xx. 17 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife..nor any thing that is thy neighbours. 1784Cowper Task v. 227 Industry in some To improve and cultivate their just demesne Made others covet what they saw so fair. 1832Austin 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.
1382Wyclif Rom. vii. 7 Thou schalt not coueite. c1440York Myst. xx. 190 The xte [comaundment] biddis noȝt coveyte. 1611Bible Prov. xxi. 26 Hee coueteth greedily all the day long. 1784Cowper Task vi. 772 The garden..needs no fence, For there is none to covet, all are full.
c. with inf. Obs. or arch.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) vi. 19 He..was puysound thurgh anoþer þat coueited to be sowdan. 1535Coverdale Micah ii. 2 When they covet to haue londe, they take it by violence. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 17 Envying the greatnes of Charles the Emperour, and coveting to surpasse him.
†4. intr.
a. To lust. Obs.
1382Wyclif Gal. v. 17 The fleisch coueitith [Vulg. concupiscit] aȝen the spirit, sothli the spirit aȝens the fleisch. c1386Chaucer Pars. T. ⁋385 The flessh coueiteth agayn the spirit.
†b. To have inordinate or culpable desire for, after. Obs.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xvi. lx, To coveyte for it [golde or sylver] doth aryse Onely engendered upon the melancholy. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, v. iv. 145 Ile rather keepe That which I haue, than coueting for more Be cast from possibility of all. 1611Bible 1 Tim. vi. 10 Money..which while some coueted after, they haue erred from the faith.
†c. To have an inclination or drawing to. Obs.
1520Whitinton Vulg. (1527) 6 b, A fysshe in spaw[n]ynge tyme wyl coueyte to the calme water.
▪ II. covet
var. of covid. |