pleonexia
/pliːəˈnɛksɪə
/noun [mass noun] rare
Extreme greed for wealth or material possessions; avarice.He portrays them as deeply divided, because their pleonexia leaves them dissatisfied and full of self-hatred....
- Because we stand to lose more than we could gain from unbridled pleonexia we have entered into a compact neither to do nor to allow injustice.
- He presents pleonexia as a first principle of human nature.
Derivatives
pleonectic
- By nature we are all pleonectic.
- Given the conventional character of justice and our own pleonectic nature, why should any one of us be just, in any context in which injustice would be profitable?
- The legislators will have to seek out and punish those who exhibit pleonectic desires.
Origin
Mid 19th century: Greek, from pleonektein 'be greedy', from pleiōn 'more' + ekhein 'have'.