I. ˈhəŋgə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hungor; akin to Old High German hungar hunger, Old Norse hungr, Gothic hūhrus, hunger, Greek kenkei he is hungry, Sanskrit kāṅksati he desires, Lithuanian kanka pain; basic meaning: burning, hurting
1.
a. : a craving, desire, or urgent need for food
b. : an uneasy sensation occasioned normally by the lack of food and resulting directly from stimulation of the sensory nerves of the stomach by the contraction and churning movement of the empty stomach
c. : a weakened disordered condition brought about by prolonged lack of food
die of hunger
2. : famine
the great hungers and … pestilences of the past — Times Literary Supplement
3. : a strong desire or craving
a hunger for knowledge
land hunger
4. : a craving for or deterioration from lack of a specified substance
potash hunger
— used especially of plants
II. verb
( hungered ; hungered ; hungering -g(ə)riŋ ; hungers )
Etymology: Middle English hungrin, hungeren, from Old English hyngran; akin to Old High German hungaren to hunger, Old Norse hungra, Gothic hungrjan to hunger, Old English hungor, n., hunger
intransitive verb
1. : to feel or be oppressed by hunger
the poor hunger , yet are not fed
2. : to have an eager desire : long
the world today hungers for ideals
transitive verb
: to make hungry : force by hunger
the besiegers hungered the garrison into surrender
Synonyms: see long
III. noun
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- from hunger