10 August 2018
cupidity
[kyoo-pid-i-tee]
noun
eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed; avarice.
Origin of cupidity
1400–50; late Middle English cupidite (< Middle French) < Latin cupiditās, equivalent to cupid(us) eager, desirous (cup(ere) to desire + -idus -id4) + -itās -ity
Related forms
cu·pid·i·nous [kyoo-pid-n-uh s] /kyuˈpɪd n əs/, adjective
Synonyms
covetousness, avidity, hunger, acquisitiveness.
Dictionary.com
Examples of cupidity
Contemporary Examples
Colonialists like Robert Clive, victor of the seminal Battle of Plassey in 1757 that is seen as decisively inaugurating British rule in India, were unashamed of their cupidity and corruption. On his first return to England, Clive took home £234,000 from his Indian exploits (£23 million pounds in today’s money, making him one of the richest men in Europe).
Inglorious Empire: what the British did to India
Shashi Tharoor
Historical Examples
A new look flashed into her eyes, not cupidity, but purpose.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Romance, more than cupidity, is what attracts the gold-brick investor.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas
Lloyd Osbourne
“I am that,” exclaimed the other, with a gleam of cupidity in his shifty eyes.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum
He was about to let her carry out her threat if she saw fit when his cupidity overcame him.
The Harbor of Doubt
Frank Williams
The curses of Heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed such a race.
The Pioneers
James Fenimore Cooper
Anagram
I cup tidy
I’d up city
Today’s quote
The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history.
– Carl T. Rowan
On this day
10 August 587BC – Solomon’s Temple (also known as the ‘First Temple’) destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzer II during the Siege of Jerusalem. The temple was later rebuilt.
10 August 70AD – Solomon’s Temple (also known as the ‘Second Temple’) set alight by Roman Army, led by future Emperor Titus.
10 August 1628 – Swedish warship, Vasa, sinks only 1300 metres into her maiden voyage after a light gust of wind blew her over. 53 lives were lost. The Vasa had been commissioned by the King of Sweden in 1625, in order to compete in the war against Poland. In a case study that is the nightmare of project managers, the Vasa has come to represent scope-creep at its worst. The King continued adding and changing the scope of the design, including numerous changes to the length of the ship (108 feet, 111 feet, 120 feet, 135 feet). However, the most damaging scope changes were in relation to the guns. After increasing the size to 120 feet to carry 32 x 24-pound guns on a single deck, the King learned that Denmark was building a ship with twin gun decks, so he ordered the ship builder to scale up to 135 feet with two enclosed gun decks. Numerous changes to the quantity of guns were made, with the King finally settling on 64 x 24-pound guns, with 32 on each deck, plus several smaller guns. The upper deck had been built for 12-pound guns, so in the end 48 x 24-pound guns were installed (24 on each deck). The King then decided the Vasa had to look regal and demanded it be covered in hundreds of ornate, gilded carvings depicting biblical, mythical and historical themes. The heavy oak carvings added further weight to the already top-heavy ship. In a rush to get the ship into service, no stability tests were conducted. A test in 1961 indicated that the ship was so unstable that it would have listed at 10o. On its maiden voyage, it took a wind gust of 8 knots to blow it over. A lesson in poor project management and a warning against scope creep.
10 August 1960 – birth of José Domínguez Banderas, Spanish actor, otherwise known as Antonio Banderas.
10 August 1964 – Following the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on 2 and 4 August 1964, the US Congress passes ‘The Southeast Asia Resolution’ (the ‘Gulf of Tonkin Resolution’), which authorised the United States ‘to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom‘. The passage of this Resolution led to US involvement in the Vietnam War.