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Cacoethes: Difference between revisions

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=== Etymology ===
=== Etymology ===
Borrowed from Latin ''cacoēthes'', from Ancient Greek ''κακοήθης'' (“ill-disposed”), from:
Borrowed from Latin ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cacoethes#Latin cacoēthes]'', from Ancient Greek ''κακοήθης'' (“ill-disposed”), from:
* ''κακός'' (“bad”)
* ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82 κακός]'' (“bad”)
* ''ἦθος'' (“disposition, nature”)
* ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82#Ancient_Greek ἦθος]'' (“disposition, nature”)


=== Pronunciation ===
=== Pronunciation ===
* IPA: /ˌkækəʊˈiːθiːz/
* IPA: /ˌkækəʊˈiːθiːz/
* Audio: [[File:Cacoethes_MorMurdoch_Pronunciation.ogg]]
* Hyphenation: ca·co·e·thes
* Hyphenation: ca·co·e·thes


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# Compulsion; mania; an often irresistible urge (especially toward something harmful or ill-advised).
# Compulsion; mania; an often irresistible urge (especially toward something harmful or ill-advised).
#* ''The ''cacoethes scribendi''—the itch to write—has ruined many a peaceful life.''
#* ''The ''cacoethes scribendi'', the itch to write, has ruined many a peaceful life.''
#* ''He spoke of an incurable ''cacoethes'' for contradiction.''
#* ''He spoke of an incurable ''cacoethes'' for contradiction.''


# {{lb|en|medicine|obsolete}} A bad quality or disposition in a disease; a malignant tumour or ulcer.
# (medicine, obsolete) A bad quality or disposition in a disease; a malignant tumour or ulcer.
#* ''Physicians once used ''cacoethes'' for stubborn, malignant ulcers.''
#* ''Physicians once used ''cacoethes'' for stubborn, malignant ulcers.''


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* cacoethically
* cacoethically


==== Translations ====
== Video Example ==
'''Sense 1:''' compulsion; mania
<youtube>V2AfXNJImSo</youtube>
* Czech: posedlost; mánie
* French: contrainte; manie
* Polish: fiksacja


'''Sense 2 (obsolete medicine):''' malignant disposition in a disease
This song functions as a modern illustration of ''cacoethes'', an irresistible and often self-destructive compulsion toward something harmful.
* Czech: sklon k churavosti
* French: tumeur maligne; ulcère


==== Anagrams ====
The repeated lines “Make me an addict” and “Can’t say no to you” emphasize the loss of restraint characteristic of a ''cacoethes''. The speaker is not merely expressing desire, but a recurring, self-aware return to what they know diminishes them (“I’m going dumber every time I answer you”). This reflects the historical sense of ''cacoethes'' as an ingrained, almost pathological inclination.
* acceehost
* coteaches


== Latin ==
The drug metaphor (“I’m a junkie, you’re the drug,” “quick fix,” “entertainment sickness”) parallels the older medical usage of ''cacoethes'', which referred to a malignant condition resistant to cure. Likewise, the relationship described in the song intensifies despite awareness of its harm.


=== Etymology ===
Rather than simple attraction, the lyrics dramatize a cultivated appetite for ruin, a compulsive surrender that aligns closely with the moral and psychological weight of ''cacoethes''.
From Ancient Greek ''κακόηθες'' (neuter of ''κακοήθης'' “ill-disposed”), from:
* ''κακός'' (“bad”)
* ''ἦθος'' (“disposition, nature”)


=== Pronunciation ===
=== In Literature ===
* (Classical/Church Latin IPA varies by tradition; commonly written as ''cacoēthes''.)


=== Noun ===
==== "Cacoethes Scribendi" by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. ====
''cacoēthes'' (neuter, 3rd declension)
The term is the central theme of the 1891 poem [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44378/cacoethes-scribendi "Cacoethes Scribendi"] by '''Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.'''


# A malignant tumour or disease.
<div style="margin-left:2em; font-style:italic;">
# Mania, especially an itch for writing (by extension).
If all the trees in all the woods were men;<br>
And each and every blade of grass a pen;<br>
If every leaf on every shrub and tree<br>
Turned to a sheet of foolscap; every sea<br>
Were changed to ink, and all earth's living tribes<br>
Had nothing else to do but act as scribes,<br>
And for ten thousand ages, day and night,<br>
The human race should write, and write, and write,<br>
Till all the pens and paper were used up,<br>
And the huge inkstand was an empty cup,<br>
Still would the scribblers clustered round its brink<br>
Call for more pens, more paper, and more ink.
</div>


=== Declension ===
== Transliteration ==
(3rd declension, neuter)
* Zhuyin (non-tonal): ㄎㄚ ㄎㄡ ㄧ ㄙ
* Katakana: カコエーシーズ
* Hangul: 캐코이시즈


=== References ===
== References ==
* Lewis & Short (''A Latin Dictionary'')
* Elementary Lewis
* Gaffiot


== Video Example ==
Holmes, Oliver Wendell Sr. “Cacoethes Scribendi.” 1891. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44378/cacoethes-scribendi.
<youtube>V2AfXNJImSo</youtube>
 
This song functions as a modern illustration of ''cacoethes'' — an irresistible and often self-destructive compulsion toward something harmful.
 
The repeated lines “Make me an addict” and “Can’t say no to you” emphasize the loss of restraint characteristic of a ''cacoethes''. The speaker is not merely expressing desire, but a recurring, self-aware return to what they know diminishes them (“I’m going dumber every time I answer you”). This reflects the historical sense of ''cacoethes'' as an ingrained, almost pathological inclination.
 
The drug metaphor (“I’m a junkie, you’re the drug,” “quick fix,” “entertainment sickness”) parallels the older medical usage of ''cacoethes'', which referred to a malignant condition resistant to cure. Likewise, the relationship described in the song intensifies despite awareness of its harm.


Rather than simple attraction, the lyrics dramatize a cultivated appetite for ruin — a compulsive surrender that aligns closely with the moral-psychological weight of ''cacoethes''.
PiNKII x DAEGHO. “Addict.” YouTube video. https://youtu.be/V2AfXNJImSo.
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