deadly sin

deadly sin

also called  Cardinal Sin,  

      any of the sins, usually numbering seven, dating back to the early history of Christian monasticism; they were grouped together as early as the 6th century by St. Gregory the Great. A sin was classified as deadly not merely because it was a serious offense morally but because “it gives rise to others, especially in the manner of a final cause” or motivation (St. Thomas Aquinas). The traditional catalog of the seven deadly sins is: (1) vainglory, or pride; (2) covetousness; (3) lust, understood as inordinate or illicit sexual desire; (4) envy; (5) gluttony, which usually included drunkenness; (6) anger; and (7) sloth. The classical discussion of the subject is in the Summa Theologica, by the 13th-century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. The deadly sins were a popular theme in the morality plays and art of the European Middle Ages.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • deadly sin — ► NOUN ▪ (in Christian tradition) a sin regarded as leading to damnation …   English terms dictionary

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  • deadly sin — noun any of the seven deadly sins anger, greed/avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth Syn: mortal sin …   Wiktionary

  • deadly sin — /dɛdli ˈsɪn/ (say dedlee sin) noun 1. (plural) → seven deadly sins. 2. → mortal sin …  

  • deadly sin — noun (in Christian tradition) a sin regarded as leading to damnation. See the seven deadly sins at seven …   English new terms dictionary

  • deadly sin — any of the seven deadly sins (pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • deadly sin — noun Date: 13th century one of seven sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth held to be fatal to spiritual progress …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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  • deadly — adj 1 Deadly, mortal, fatal, lethal mean causing or causative of death. Deadly may imply an extremely high degree of probability rather than a certainty of death; the term therefore applies to something with the capacity of or a marked… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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