Having a strong desire or craving for something, usually food or other pleasures; or feeling physical attraction.
From Old English 'lust' (desire, appetite) + '-ing'. The word originally had neutral connotations but gained moral judgments through Christian theology.
Lust was neutral in Old English but became one of Christianity's deadly sins, which is why English has this fascinating divided emotional vocabulary—some desires are labeled 'cravings' and others labeled 'lusting'!
Desire language carries gendered moral weight: women's lust historically framed as pathological or shameful, while men's appetite normalized. Language like 'lusty' for men vs. 'lustful' for women reflects unequal moral judgment.
Use neutrally for any person's desire without moral inflation. Specify context ('ambition,' 'appetite,' 'attraction') for clarity.
["desiring","craving","seeking"]
Women's reclamation of 'lust' as positive agency (esp. in feminist literature) counters centuries of shame-coding that denied female sexual subjectivity.
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