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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CACOETHES

n. 1. A bad custom or habit; a bad disposition.
2. In medicine, an incurable ulcer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

CACOETHES

Cac `o *ë "thes, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

1. A bad custom or habit; an insatiable desire; as, cacoëthes scribendi, "The itch for writing ". Addison.

2. (Med. )

Defn: A bad quality or disposition in a disease; an incurable ulcer.

New American Oxford Dictionary

cacoethes

cac o e thes |ˌkakōˈwēT͟Hēz ˌkækəˈwiðiz | ▶noun [ in sing. ] rare an irresistible urge to do something inadvisable. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek kakoēthes ‘ill-disposed, ’ from kakos ‘bad ’ + ēthos ‘disposition. ’

Oxford Dictionary

cacoethes

cacoethes |ˌkakəʊˈiːθiːz | ▶noun [ in sing. ] rare an urge to do something inadvisable. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek kakoēthes ‘ill-disposed ’, from kakos ‘bad ’ + ēthos ‘disposition ’.