LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

avidus

avidus (feminine avida, neuter avidum, comparative avidior, superlative avidissimus, adverb avidē or aviditer)
Classical[ˈa.wɪ.dʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈaː.vi.dus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivegreedy, avaricious, covetous
    nōn ego dīvitiās avidus sine fīne parandīNor [do] I, greedy of procuring wealth without end, plow the wide sea to trade [my] wares.8 CE – 12 CE, Ovidius, Tristia 1.2.75-76
  2. adjectiveeager, enthusiastic, desiring, desirous; lustful, passionate
  3. adjectiveeager, hungry, voracious, gluttonous; insatiable
  4. adjectivevast, wide, large

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

cupidissimus
avidus -a -um — in Aeneis, ch. 14
greedy
avidus — in Seneca, ch. XIV

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Velle · Optare · Expetere · Cupere · Avere · Gestire

1. Velle, optare, and expetere, are acts of calm reason and self-determination; whereas cupere, avere, and gestire, acts of excited feeling and of passion. Senec. Ep. 116. Cum tibi cupere interdixero, velle permittam. 2. Velle (ἑλεῖν) means to wish, and co-operate towards the realization of one’s wish, like θέλειν and βούλεσθαι; optare (from ποθεῖν) to wish, and leave the realization of one’s wish to others, or to fate, like ποθεῖν; expetere, to wish, and apply to others for the realization of one’s wish, like ὀρέγεσθαι. Sen. Ep. 95. Sæpe aliud volumus, aliud optamus. Cic. Off. i. 20. Nihil nisi quod honestum sit homines aut admirari aut optare aut expetere oportet. 3. Cupere (κάπτειν) denotes a vehement, passionate desire; gestire (γηθεῖν), a lively desire, showing itself by gestures; avere (from χαίνειν, χάος), an impatient, hasty desire. Cupidus means, being eagerly desirous of something, like ἐπιθυμῶν; gestiens, rejoicing in anticipation of something, like χρῄζων; avidus, being greedy after something. Cic. Sen. 8. Græcas literas sic avide arripui, quasi diuturnam sitim explere cupiens; comp. with Att. ii. 18. Intellexi quam suspenso animo et sollicito scire averes, quid esset novi. And, iv. 11. Perge reliqua; gestio scire ista omnia. (v. 57.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeavidusavidaavidum
genitiveavidīavidaeavidī
dativeavidōavidaeavidō
accusativeavidumavidamavidum
ablativeavidōavidāavidō
vocativeavideavidaavidum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeavidīavidaeavida
genitiveavidōrumavidārumavidōrum
dativeavidīsavidīsavidīs
accusativeavidōsavidāsavida
ablativeavidīsavidīsavidīs
vocativeavidīavidaeavida

ăvĭdus, a, um, adj. 1. aveo,
I. longing eagerly for something (either lawful or unlawful), desirous, eager, earnest, greedy (diff. from avarus, q. v.).
I. In gen., constr. with gen., in with acc., dat., or absol.
(a). With gen.: cibi, Ter. Eun. 5, 4, 16: Romani semper appetentes gloriae praeter ceteras gentes atque avidi laudis, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 3, 7: festinatio victoriae avida, id. Phil. 3, 1; so, potentiae, honoris, divitiarum, Sall. J. 15, 4: avidissimus privatae gratiae, id. H. Fr. (Orat. Cottae ad Popul. p. 245 Gerl.): turba avida novarum rerum, Liv. 1, 8, 6: avidus poenae (sc. sumendae), id. 8, 30, 13: libidinum, Hor. C. 1, 18, 11: futuri, id. A. P. 172 et saep.: belli gerundi, Sall. J. 35, 3: malefaciundi, id. H. Fr. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 9, 343 (p. 251, n. 116 Gerl.): avidior properandi, id. H. Fr. 4, 30 Gerl.: videndi, Ov. M. 10, 56 et saep.— Poet. with inf. (inst. of gen. of gerund.): avidi committere pugnam, Ov. M. 5, 75: cognoscere amantem, id. ib. 10, 472: Chaos innumeros avidum confundere mundos, Luc. 6, 696 al.—A. more remote gen. relation is found in Lucr.: Humanum genus est avidum nimis auricularum, in respect of, Lucr. 4, 594.—
(b). With in with acc.: avida in novas res ingenia, Liv. 22, 21, 2: avidae in direptiones manus, id. 5, 20, 6.—*
(g). With dat.: servorum manus subitis avidae, Tac. H. 1, 7.—
(d). Absol. and transf. to inanimate things: ita sunt avidae (aures meae), etc., Cic. Or. 29, 104: avidi cursus frena retentat equi, Ov. P. 3, 9, 26: avidae libidines, Cic. Sen. 12, 39: amor, Cat. 68, 83: cor, Ov. Tr. 3, 11, 58: pectus, id. H. 9, 161: amplexus, id. M. 7, 143.—
II. Esp
A. Eager for gain, avaricious, covetous, greedy of money, = avarus: me dices avidum esse hominem, Plaut. Ps. 5, 2, 34; id. Aul. prol. 9; 3, 5, 12; id. Bacch. 2, 3, 43: Sed habet patrem quendam avidum, miserum atque aridum, Ter. Heaut, 3, 2, 15: divitiasque Conduplicant avidi, Lucr. 3, 71: aliquantum ad rem avidior, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 51: grati animi, non appetentis, non avidi signa proferri perutile est, Cic. de Or. 2, 43, 182; id. Rosc. Com. 7 fin.: avidae manus heredis, Hor. C. 4, 7, 19 al.—
B. Eager for food, hungry, greedy, voracious, gluttonous: Avidos vicinum funus et aegros Exanimat, Hor. S. 1, 4, 126: convivae, id. ib. 1, 5, 75: Noli avidus esse in omni epulatione, * Vulg. Eccli. 37, 32.— Poet.: Efficit ut largis avidum mare fluminis undis, insatiable, Lucr. 1, 1031: Exitio est avidum mare nautis, Hor. C. 1, 28, 18: morbus, Lucr. 6, 1236: manus Mortis, Tib. 1, 3, 4: ignis, Ov. M. 9, 234; 12, 280: flammae, id. ib. 9, 172: morsus, id. ib. 4, 724 et saep.—
C. In Lucr. of space as swallowing up objects, wide, large, vast: Inde avidei partem montes silvaeque ferarum Possedere, Lucr. 5, 202: avido complexu quem tenet aether id. 2, 1066; so id. 5, 470.—Adv., eagerly, greedily, etc.
a. Anteclass. form ăvĭdĭter: invadere pocula, Val. Antias ap. Arn. 5, p. 155; so App.: merum ventri ingurgitare, Met. 4, p. 145, 27.—
b. Class. form ăvĭdē: ab ludis animus atque aures avent avide exspectantes mentium, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 83 Müll. (Trag. v. 71 Vahl.); Lucr. 4, 1108: adripere Graecas litteras, Cic. Sen. 8, 26: adpetere aliquid, id. ib. 20, 72: exspectare aliquid, id. Att. 12, 40; 16, 10: jam bibit avide, Suet. Tib. 59: pransus, Hor. S. 1, 6, 127 al.— Comp.: avidius se in voluptates mergere, Liv. 23, 18, 11: procurrere, id. 34, 15, 4: avidius vino ciboque corpora onerant, id. 41, 2, 13: vesci, Suet. Calig. 18.—Sup.: avidissime exspectare aliquid, Cic. Phil. 14, 1: credere aliquid, Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 4: adprehendere palmam, id. 14, 22, 28, § 147.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew-eh₁yeti
  3. Latinavidus

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin avidus From aveō (“wish, desire, long for, crave”) + -idus.

Descendants
  • Catalanàvid
  • Englishavid
  • Frenchavide
  • Italianavido
  • Occitanavid
  • Portugueseávido
  • Romanianavid
  • Spanishávido
  • Esperantoavido
  • Galicianávido

Quick answers

What does avidus mean in Latin?
avidus, a adjective, means “greedy, avaricious, covetous; eager, enthusiastic, desiring, desirous; lustful, passionate”.
How do you pronounce avidus?
In classical Latin, [ˈa.wɪ.dʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈaː.vi.dus].
Where does avidus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-eh₁yeti → Latin avidus.