Chrematomania
/ˌkrɛmətoʊˈmeɪniə/noun
An obsessive or pathological preoccupation with acquiring money or wealth.
Did you know?The first element comes from Greek chrēma, meaning a useful thing or possession, which came to mean money because money was treated as the ultimate resource for obtaining things.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gher-
“To desire, want, or grasp; a proposed ancestral root connected with the Greek verb behind chrēma.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
χρῆμα (chrēma)
“A thing needed or used; a possession, property, or money.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
χρηματιστική (chrēmatistikē)
“The art or practice of acquiring wealth, especially the accumulation of money.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μανία (mania)
“Madness, frenzy, or excessive enthusiasm.”
19th–20th Century
Scientific English
chrematomania
“A modern compound formed from Greek chrēma, money or wealth, and mania, obsessive madness.”
Modern English
English
chrematomania
“An abnormal obsession with money or wealth.”
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