Cacoëthes (pronounced kak-oh-ee-theez)
(1) An uncontrollable urge or irresistible desire,
especially something harmful or
ill-advised.
(2) In medicine, a bad quality or disposition in a
disease; a malignant tumor or ulcer (obsolete).
1560s:
From cacoēthes,
a Latinized form of the
Ancient Greek κακοήθης (kakoēthēs) (ill-habit,
wickedness, itch for doing (something)), from κακός (kakos) (bad) from the primitive Indo-European root kakka- (to defecate) + ἦθος (ēthē-
& êthos) (disposition, character);
Related is the modern ethos. The Ancient
Greek kakóēthes was a neuter (used as
noun) of kakoḗthēs (malignant), literally “of
bad character; of evil disposition”.
Cacoëthes is a
noun, the noun plural is cacoethe & cacoethic is an adjective; the preferred modern spelling is
cacoethes but cacoëthesor is used by some classists. It shouldn’t be confused with cacoethics (bad
ethics or morals; bad habits). It’s
remembered in Juvenal's insanabile
scribendi cacoethes (incurable passion for writing) and it was said of Machiavelli
that he suffered the cacoethes scribendi
(an urge to write dangerous words).
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