ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

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noun

addiction

uh-DIK-shuhn/əˈdɪkʃn/

Dependence on a substance or activity that is difficult to stop.

The repeated reach for another cigarette illustrates addiction.

Hand reaches for another cigarette beside a full ashtray.

Etymology

adLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+dictLatinsay, declare, state

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces originally concerned declaring or allotting something to someone, hence delivering it over. Being “given over” to a habit developed from devotion or inclination into the stronger sense of compulsive dependence.

In context

Rich Roll4:19

I define addiction as the continued compulsive use of a drug or behavior despite harm to self and/or others.

10 POWERFUL Stories of Addiction (& Recovery) | Rich Roll Podcast

More examples

He sought help for an addiction to gambling.
The program supports people recovering from addiction.
She wrote about the difficulty of overcoming addiction.

Forms

addiction · addictions

addictive adjective — likely to cause compulsive dependence

Similar words

dependence: Can be physical or practical without compulsive behavior.
compulsion: An irresistible urge that need not involve a specific addiction.