Cacoethes

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

Translations

Sense 1: compulsion; mania

Czech: posedlost; mánie
French: contrainte; manie
Polish: fiksacja

Sense 2 (obsolete medicine): malignant disposition in a disease

Czech: sklon k churavosti
French: tumeur maligne; ulcère

Anagrams

acceehost
coteaches

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κακόηθες (neuter of κακοήθης “ill-disposed”), from:

κακός (“bad”)
ἦθος (“disposition, nature”)

Pronunciation

(Classical/Church Latin IPA varies by tradition; commonly written as cacoēthes.)

Noun

cacoēthes (neuter, 3rd declension)

A malignant tumour or disease.
Mania, especially an itch for writing (by extension).

Declension

(3rd declension, neuter)

References

Lewis & Short (A Latin Dictionary)
Elementary Lewis
Gaffiot

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-psychological weight of cacoethes.