The root of all evil
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
The fundamental underlying cause from which serious wrongdoing, corruption, or broader trouble grows. The biblical subject is covetousness or love of money, not money by itself. Regional use: Late Middle English biblical translation; now widespread.
Origin
The familiar expression shortens 1 Timothy 6:10. The Wycliffe Bible says that covetousness is the root of all evils; later English versions usually say the love of money is a root, or the root, of all kinds of evil. The medieval English wording is close, but the popular claim money is the root of all evil changes both the subject and, in many translations, the scope. Careful use preserves the distinction between money and an obsessive love of it.
Research Sources
Variants
- The love of money is the root of all evil
Usage Examples
- The report treated secrecy as the root of all evil in the department.
- She blamed greed, not money itself, as the root of all evil.
- Poor communication was the root of all evil in the failed project.