Greedy

How to spell greedy

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce greedy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does greedy mean?

1. adjectiveHaving an excessive desire for more than one needs, especially of food, money, or possessions.

Greedy in a sentence

• The greedy landlord kept raising the rent every few months.

• He felt greedy taking a second helping before everyone had eaten.

Where does greedy come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows directly out of the native English noun 'greed', though interestingly the adjective is the older form. Old English had 'graedig', meaning 'hungry' or 'voracious', built on a Germanic root that conveyed the idea of a sharp, gnawing craving for food. Related forms appear across the Germanic languages, such as Old Norse 'graedugr' and Old High German 'gratag', all carrying that same sense of ravenous appetite. Over the centuries the meaning widened from literal hunger to any excessive longing, especially for money or possessions, and the modern noun 'greed' was actually back-formed from the adjective in the 1600s. The doubled 'e' is the spelling point worth remembering: it mirrors the long vowel and echoes the original 'graedig'.

How the word is built

• greed (excessive desire)
• -y (adjective suffix: full of, characterised by)