avarizia
avarice
noun ah-vah-REET-tsyah Rare
Origin: Latin avaritia, from avarus (greedy)
Also means
greed
Usage Note
Avarizia is one of the seven deadly sins in Catholic tradition. It means an excessive, miserly attachment to money or possessions, stronger and more censorious than mere parsimonia (thrift). The adjective is avaro (miser, miserly); a person consumed by avarizia is un avaro. Do not confuse avaro with the false friend 'avid' — avido covers that meaning in Italian.
Examples
"La sua avarizia lo rendeva odiato da tutti."
Natural Translation
His avarice made him hated by everyone.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic
ItalianNow
5 min read
ItalianNow
5 min read