English → Latin
“covet” in Latin
appetōto strive for, reach after (something), try to get; to attack, fall or seize upon, assault, assail; to approach, draw nicupiōto desire, long for; to please, favor, be well disposed towards (someone, something)concupīscōto very much desire, or covet strongly; to long for greatly or much; to wish for greatly, or eagerly, or ardentlycupiduseager, desirous, passionate, fond (+ genitive or + in ablative); greedy, covetous; wanton, lecherousdēsīderōto want, desire, wish for, long for; to miss, lack, need; to loseoptōto choose, select, prefer, opt; to wish for, hope for, long for, desireexpetōto desire, covet; to demand insistently, solicit; to strive foraffectōto strive after, pursue, aim to do; to desire, aspire at; to enter on or take a way, set out on, journeygestiōto gesticulate; to exult, be joyful, cheerful; to desire, be eagerflagrōto burn, blaze
The English word covet itself goes back to Latin cupiō, through cupiditas.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
covet
appetere (to desire): cupere: concupiscere: cupidum, avidum esse alicujus rei (to desire anything violently): desiderare (to long after or for anything; especially what one misses): optare (to wish): expetere: affectare (to strive to get; to be hankering after; opposed to fugere: aspernari): gestire (to express a longing for anything by gestures, with infinitive): ardenter cupere aliquid: cupiditate alicujus rei ardere, flagrare; desiderio alicujus rei magno teneri; sitire aliquid; sitienter expetere aliquid (stronger terms; to thirst after anything): to covet or abhor, appetere aut fugere (refugere): I am coveting anything, concupisco: appeto (both with accusative and infinitive); alicujus rei desiderio capior: appetens sum alicujus rei; cupidus, avidus sum alicujus rei: to covet earnestly, omni cogitatione ferri ad aliquid: to lay one’s hands on a coveted possession, grassari in possessionem alicujus rei (Liv. 6, 5).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for covet?
- The usual Latin words for “covet” are appetō, cupiō, concupīscō; also cupidus, dēsīderō, optō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.