Today's Word

Panacea

pan-uh-SEE-uh

Definition

(noun) A solution or remedy for all problems, difficulties, or diseases; a universal cure.

Example

While renewable energy is a significant step forward, it is not a panacea for all environmental challenges.

Fun Fact

“Panacea” originates from the Greek word panakeia, which combines pan- (“all”) and akos (“remedy”). In Greek mythology, Panacea was the goddess of healing and daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine. The term entered English during the 16th century to describe the mythical “universal cure” sought by alchemists and physicians. Although no such cure exists, the word has endured as a metaphor for overly simplistic solutions to complex problems.

Previous Words

Cupidity

Today's Word

Cupidity

kyoo-PID-ih-tee

Definition

(noun) Greed for money or possessions; excessive desire for wealth or material gain.

Example

The executive’s cupidity was laid bare in court when prosecutors revealed he had been skimming from the pension fund for nearly a decade.

Word Origin

From Latin cupiditas, meaning “desire or longing” — derived from cupere, meaning “to desire.” The same root gives us Cupid, the Roman god of desire, and covet. In classical Latin, cupiditas carried a broader sense of longing for anything, but English borrowed it specifically in its most acquisitive sense — the desire for wealth and material things above all else. The word entered English in the 15th century and has retained its precise, unflattering meaning ever since.

Fun Fact

The shared root between cupidity and Cupid is more than etymological trivia — Roman philosophers drew the connection deliberately. Cicero and Seneca both wrote at length about cupiditas as a corrupting force, arguing that the same irrational, ungovernable desire that makes a person fall foolishly in love is the same force that drives a person to accumulate wealth beyond all reason or need. Both, they argued, were forms of slavery — the cupidus person, like the lovesick one, is controlled by appetite rather than reason. The Stoics considered cupidity one of the four primary destructive passions, alongside fear, pleasure, and distress.

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Panacea

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Cupidity

Cupidity

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Cupidity

Maudlin

Onerous

Toady

Wanton