Hypertext Webster Gateway: "cacoethes"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Cacoethes \Cac`o*["e]"thes\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ???????? of ill
habits, ?? ???????? an ill habit; ? bad + ? habit]
1. A bad custom or habit; an insatiable desire; as,
caco["e]thes scribendi, ``The itch for writing''.
--Addison.
2. (Med.) A bad quality or disposition in a disease; an
incurable ulcer.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
cacoethes
n : an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
[syn: {mania}, {passion}]
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