mammon
UK[ˈmamən]US[ˈmæmən]
n
Wealth or material possessions regarded as having a corrupting influence or as an evil god.
Etymology
The word 'mammon' entered English via Biblical translation, carried from its Aramaic origin through Greek and Latin. In Aramaic, 'māmōnā' was a neutral term for material wealth or property. However, its use in the New Testament, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount where it is personified in opposition to God ("Ye cannot serve God and mammon"), fundamentally shifted its semantic charge in Christian theology and subsequent European languages. This theological context transformed the term from a simple noun for riches into a personification of corrupting wealth or a false idol of materialism. Thus, the modern English meaning encapsulates not just wealth, but the deified and corrupting pursuit of it.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword. It originates from Late Latin 'mammona', which came from Greek 'mamōnas', from Aramaic 'māmōnā' meaning "wealth, riches". Its functional role is as a noun.
Examples
He renounced the pursuit of mammon and dedicated his life to charity.
The novel critiques a society enslaved by mammon.
They warned that the worship of mammon would lead to moral decay.