Thorsten Jolitz <tjolitz@gmail.com> writes:
Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
But it still seems valid to protect against greedyness?
^^^^^^^^^^
AKA greed,
I just made it up, but funny enough - it does actually exist (with
slightly different spelling)!
>From http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/greediness:
,-------------------------------------------------------------------
| greediness (ˈɡriːdɪnɪs)
|
| Definitions
|
| noun
|
| 1. the quality of being greedy
|
| greedy (ˈɡriːdɪ Pronunciation for greedy )
|
| Definitions
|
| adjective
|
| Word forms: greedier, greediest
|
| 1. excessively desirous of food or wealth, esp in large amounts;
| voracious
| 2. (postpositive) foll by for eager (for) ⇒ `a man greedy for
| success'
|
| Derived Forms
|
| ˈgreedily adverb
| ˈgreediness noun
|
| Word Origin
|
| Old English grǣdig; related to Old Norse grāthugr, Gothic grēdags
| hungry, Old High German grātac
|
| Example Sentences Including 'greediness'
|
| At times his greediness got the better of him but he never let
| his enthusiasm go off the boil.
|
| Sun, News of the World (2004)
|
| Broilers consume lots more feed-there's a good chance that
| greediness has been inadvertently selected for.
|
| New Scientist (1998)
|
| Mr Carman asked him if he had a `streak of greediness " in him
| for money, expensive cars and Rolex watches.
|
| Sun, News of the World (1999)
|
| Thus individuals who do experience strong pulls of greediness
| often go to desperate measures to hide their behaviour.
|
| Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind
`-------------------------------------------------------------------
If I were you, Thorsten, I wouldn't rely on "The Sun and "NOTW" for
particularly nuanced usage of the English language, even if Collins does
quote them. "New Scientist" is in a different category, but I think
"greed" would be much better in the example given for the following
reason:
I would say that "greed" is traditionally "a deadly sin", i.e. a moral
failing, whereas "greediness" is a (normally) non-fatal display of
overindulgence. Bankers may be reviled for their greed, but
sticky-faced children told off for their greediness.
In "Mastering Regular Expressions", Friedl refers to the "greediness"
aspect of regular expressions, which, given the lack of a moral context,
seems to me the appropriate choice.
Cheers,
Loris