Feeling upset or angry because you fear losing someone’s attention or love to another person, or because someone else has something you want. It often mixes fear, anger, and envy.
From Old French “jalous,” from Late Latin “zelosus,” meaning “full of zeal or jealousy,” from Greek “zēlos,” meaning “zeal, jealousy, rivalry.” The word originally blended the idea of passionate devotion with suspicion. Over time, English “jealous” focused more on the negative, anxious side.
“Jealous” and “zealous” are cousins—both come from a root about intense passion. One passion cheers when you succeed (zeal); the other tightens when someone else does (jealousy). That shared root shows how the same emotional energy can turn generous or poisonous.
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