noun
mammon
MAM-un/ˈmæmən/
Wealth regarded as an object of worship or a corrupting influence.
The man’s reverence for the heap of gold suggests devotion to mammon.
Etymology
The ancestor meant “riches” or “gain.” Its treatment as a personification of wealth—and, mistakenly, as a demon of covetousness—helps explain the sense of riches receiving greedy devotion.
In context
you cannot serve god and mammon it's impossible
More examples
- The novel portrays a society devoted to mammon.
- She contrasted public service with the pursuit of mammon.
- The poem condemns the corrupting power of mammon.
Forms
mammon
Similar words
- wealth
- Wealth is neutral possession of riches; mammon casts wealth as an object of corrupting devotion.
- greed
- Greed is the desire for excessive gain; mammon personifies or names the riches being worshiped.