ANSWER: "envy" versus "jealousy"
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fandom_grammarHappy Halloween, dear Fandom Grammar readers! Since we find ourselves once again on that most famous Day of Ghouls and Fright, it is only fitting that we examine two very terrible, very different, but often mistaken words whose definitions are no less insidious for the error: envy and jealousy. Such a daunting challenge requires the assistance of those who have experience investigating humankind’s inner malice. So, aiding us in our investigation of these two “evils within” will be Detective Sebastian Castellanos and the other characters from The Evil Within.
This won’t hurt—too much. Let’s get started, shall we?
Envy
Envy is defined as “a feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages, possessions, etc.” or “resentful dislike of another who has something that one desires." Essentially, it means recognizing that someone has something (a possession, a job, a lifestyle, etc.) that you want and then wanting it for yourself, wanting that they no longer have it, or both. It comes from the Middle English and Old French word envie, which came from the Latin word invidia—“looking with malice,” or “envy.”
Many know envy as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, a list of humankind’s malicious desires originally written by the monk Evagrius Ponticus almost four hundred years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The Catholic Church officially recognizes envy as its Latin grandfather invidia because the sin itself was named after the Roman goddess of envy, Invidia. Roman mythology paints Invidia as a vile creature who dwells in a dank cave, feasting on vipers. When she walks the earth, the vegetation around her dies as she passes it. The poison with which she afflicts people spreads throughout her victims’ entire bodies, likely as a representation of the all-consuming, negative nature of the feeling of envy. She is also associated with the evil eye, likely because envy often springs from visually witnessing another with the object of envy. (In fact, in Dante’s Inferno, Dante portrays those who are being punished for the sin of envy as having their eyes sewn shut.) Her Greek counterpart is Nemesis.
Interestingly, envy did not make the original list of negative desires penned by Evagrius (which included eight sins instead of just seven). It was not until Pope Gregory the Great edited the list in 590AD, combining a few sins and proclaiming them to be “deadly,” that envy made the cut. Since then, the Seven Deadly Sins have become one of the most widely recognized staples and icons of the Christian religion, even though they aren’t mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
Strangely (or rather not so strangely), envy is the sin that makes people the most uncomfortable. Sins such as lust, gluttony, and sloth are openly addressed—even joked about—but many shy away from discussing feelings of envy, likely because it is associated with shallow materialism and social status. Envy has also served as the inspiration for a number of crimes, including vandalism, theft, and murder. From Cain beating Abel to death to the Queen’s attempted assassination of Snow White, envy permeates the human mind in the most poisonous of ways, and it has done so since the dawn of time.
The adjective form of envy is envious, meaning, “characterized by envy” or “feeling, showing, or resulting from envy.” It comes from the old French word envieus as well as the Latin word invidiosus.
An example of envy in a sentence:
Jealousy
To be jealous is to be “very watchful or careful in guarding or keeping,” “resentfully suspicious of a rival or a rival’s influence,” or “requiring exclusive loyalty.” It comes from the Middle English jelous, the Old French gelos, and interestingly enough, the Medieval Latin zelosus, which means “full of zeal.” Zelosus is also the root word for zealous, which means having an “intense enthusiasm, as in working for a cause, [or an] ardent endeavor or devotion.” Its noun form, jealousy, is defined as “the quality or condition of being jealous.” It comes from the Middle English jalousie and the Old French gelosie and gelos. It is commonly characterized as the “fear of losing a loved one to someone else,” such as losing a romantic partner to a rival.
Although a certain amount of jealousy is understandable, especially in the case of intimate relationships, a high amount is damaging. To be jealous is to expect loyalty, but to be very jealous is to demand loyalty, such as is the case with abusive relationships, cults, and other bizarre, extreme social situations that involve a follower (or followers) heeding the word of an absolute leader. Like envy, jealousy (and in turn zealotry) has inspired a plethora of crime, from cruel acts condoned by religious and community heads to wartime atrocities. It has a track record of stirring the negative and destructive side of humankind.
An example of jealousy in a sentence:
Envy versus jealousy
As we now know, envy and jealousy are absolutely not one and the same. They have totally different meanings: envy refers to wanting what others have while jealousy refers to expecting loyalty. Likely the confusion surrounding them arose due to romantic entanglements in which a lover can feel jealous of his or her partner and envious of the partner’s perceived connection or involvement with another. But in any case, envy and jealousy don’t have any direct connection and should not be used as synonyms for each other.
That’s all for now, zealous readers. Have a fun (and safe!) Halloween, and be sure to submit your next grammar-related question via our Queries post. If you ask anyone else, we might get a little jealous!
Sources
GreekMythology.com
the History Channel's Seven Deadly Sins: Envy
Online Etymology Dictionary
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition
This won’t hurt—too much. Let’s get started, shall we?
Envy
Envy is defined as “a feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages, possessions, etc.” or “resentful dislike of another who has something that one desires." Essentially, it means recognizing that someone has something (a possession, a job, a lifestyle, etc.) that you want and then wanting it for yourself, wanting that they no longer have it, or both. It comes from the Middle English and Old French word envie, which came from the Latin word invidia—“looking with malice,” or “envy.”
Many know envy as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, a list of humankind’s malicious desires originally written by the monk Evagrius Ponticus almost four hundred years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The Catholic Church officially recognizes envy as its Latin grandfather invidia because the sin itself was named after the Roman goddess of envy, Invidia. Roman mythology paints Invidia as a vile creature who dwells in a dank cave, feasting on vipers. When she walks the earth, the vegetation around her dies as she passes it. The poison with which she afflicts people spreads throughout her victims’ entire bodies, likely as a representation of the all-consuming, negative nature of the feeling of envy. She is also associated with the evil eye, likely because envy often springs from visually witnessing another with the object of envy. (In fact, in Dante’s Inferno, Dante portrays those who are being punished for the sin of envy as having their eyes sewn shut.) Her Greek counterpart is Nemesis.
Interestingly, envy did not make the original list of negative desires penned by Evagrius (which included eight sins instead of just seven). It was not until Pope Gregory the Great edited the list in 590AD, combining a few sins and proclaiming them to be “deadly,” that envy made the cut. Since then, the Seven Deadly Sins have become one of the most widely recognized staples and icons of the Christian religion, even though they aren’t mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
Strangely (or rather not so strangely), envy is the sin that makes people the most uncomfortable. Sins such as lust, gluttony, and sloth are openly addressed—even joked about—but many shy away from discussing feelings of envy, likely because it is associated with shallow materialism and social status. Envy has also served as the inspiration for a number of crimes, including vandalism, theft, and murder. From Cain beating Abel to death to the Queen’s attempted assassination of Snow White, envy permeates the human mind in the most poisonous of ways, and it has done so since the dawn of time.
The adjective form of envy is envious, meaning, “characterized by envy” or “feeling, showing, or resulting from envy.” It comes from the old French word envieus as well as the Latin word invidiosus.
An example of envy in a sentence:
“Back at the mansion, I made a note of some old newspaper articles,” Joseph said. “The Victorianos were buying up the townsfolk's land. Plus, the Victorianos were wealthy, but the town…well….Most likely they went after their children—”And an example of envious in a sentence:
“Out of plain ol’ human envy,” said Sebastian.
Sebastian rounded on Joseph. “You don’t even know how lucky you are,” he said. “Your kid didn’t die—wasn’t murdered—and your wife didn’t disappear to God knows where. And you weren’t left in the dark about all of it. You can still go home and hold them and not wonder what the hell was so wrong with you that you got left behind when you were needed the most. So sorry, Joseph, for being a little envious and a little testy. But until you know what you’re talking about, shut the hell up.”It is interesting to note that when split in two, envie becomes the French term en vie, which means “alive” in the survival sense.
Jealousy
To be jealous is to be “very watchful or careful in guarding or keeping,” “resentfully suspicious of a rival or a rival’s influence,” or “requiring exclusive loyalty.” It comes from the Middle English jelous, the Old French gelos, and interestingly enough, the Medieval Latin zelosus, which means “full of zeal.” Zelosus is also the root word for zealous, which means having an “intense enthusiasm, as in working for a cause, [or an] ardent endeavor or devotion.” Its noun form, jealousy, is defined as “the quality or condition of being jealous.” It comes from the Middle English jalousie and the Old French gelosie and gelos. It is commonly characterized as the “fear of losing a loved one to someone else,” such as losing a romantic partner to a rival.
Although a certain amount of jealousy is understandable, especially in the case of intimate relationships, a high amount is damaging. To be jealous is to expect loyalty, but to be very jealous is to demand loyalty, such as is the case with abusive relationships, cults, and other bizarre, extreme social situations that involve a follower (or followers) heeding the word of an absolute leader. Like envy, jealousy (and in turn zealotry) has inspired a plethora of crime, from cruel acts condoned by religious and community heads to wartime atrocities. It has a track record of stirring the negative and destructive side of humankind.
An example of jealousy in a sentence:
“At church, the preacher would tell us that our god was ripe with jealousy—that he didn’t want us to worship or consort with other gods or idols,” Juli said, glancing up at the rose window high above her, Sebastian, and Joseph. “I thought that’s why my life was the way it was: because I loved the idea of leaving here. I worshipped freedom more than I worshipped him.”And an example of jealous in a sentence:
“Don’t let that praise go to your head,” said the man in the black suit—the man who always sat in shadows—to Juli. “Mobius is a very jealous organization; we demand absolute loyalty from all who are with us. And we will destroy any who prove to be a weak link in our chain.” Juli thought she saw a trace of a smile in the shadows. “Are you a weak link?”
Envy versus jealousy
As we now know, envy and jealousy are absolutely not one and the same. They have totally different meanings: envy refers to wanting what others have while jealousy refers to expecting loyalty. Likely the confusion surrounding them arose due to romantic entanglements in which a lover can feel jealous of his or her partner and envious of the partner’s perceived connection or involvement with another. But in any case, envy and jealousy don’t have any direct connection and should not be used as synonyms for each other.
That’s all for now, zealous readers. Have a fun (and safe!) Halloween, and be sure to submit your next grammar-related question via our Queries post. If you ask anyone else, we might get a little jealous!
Sources
GreekMythology.com
the History Channel's Seven Deadly Sins: Envy
Online Etymology Dictionary
Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition
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no subject
31/10/16 18:41 (UTC)no subject
5/11/16 23:10 (UTC)no subject
6/11/16 01:34 (UTC)no subject
1/11/16 11:45 (UTC)no subject
5/11/16 23:08 (UTC)(I admit I'm guilty of it as well.)