Cacoethes: Difference between revisions
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
* cacoethical | * cacoethical | ||
* cacoethically | * cacoethically | ||
== Video Example == | == Video Example == | ||
Revision as of 03:00, 26 February 2026
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cacoēthes, from Ancient Greek κακοήθης (“ill-disposed”), from:
- κακός (“bad”)
- ἦθος (“disposition, nature”)
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˌkækəʊˈiːθiːz/
- Hyphenation: ca·co·e·thes
Noun
cacoethes (plural cacoethes)
- 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.
- He spoke of an incurable cacoethes for contradiction.
- Template:Lb A bad quality or disposition in a disease; a malignant tumour or ulcer.
- Physicians once used cacoethes for stubborn, malignant ulcers.
Usage notes
Not to be confused with cacoethics (“bad ethics or morals; bad habits”).
Alternative forms
- cacoëthes
Derived terms
- cacoethic
- cacoethical
- cacoethically
Video Example
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 and psychological weight of cacoethes.