hunger

See also: Hunger

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English hunger, from Old English hungor (“hunger, desire; famine”), from Proto-Germanic *hungruz, *hunhruz (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *kenk- (“to burn, smart, desire, hunger, thirst”). Cognate with West Frisian honger, hûnger (“hunger”), Dutch honger (“hunger”), German Low German Hunger (“hunger”), German Hunger (“hunger”), Swedish hunger (“hunger”), Icelandic hungur (“hunger”).

Noun

hunger (countable and uncountable, plural hungers)

  1. A need or compelling desire for food.
  2. (by extension) Any strong desire.
    I have a hunger to win.
    • Spenser
      O sacred hunger of ambitious minds!
Usage notes

The phrase be hungry is more common than have hunger to express a need for food.

Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Etymology 2

From Old English hyngran, from Proto-Germanic *hungrijaną.

Verb

hunger (third-person singular simple present hungers, present participle hungering, simple past and past participle hungered) (intransitive)

  1. To be in need of food.
  2. (figuratively, usually with 'for' or 'after') To have a desire (for); to long; to yearn.
    I hungered for your love.
    • Bible, Matthew v. 6
      Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.
  3. (archaic) To make hungry; to famish.
Translations

References

  • hunger in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Danish

Noun

hunger

  1. (uncommon) hunger

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

German

Verb

hunger

  1. First-person singular present of hungern.
  2. Imperative singular of hungern.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hunhruz.

Noun

hunger m (definite singular hungeren, uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse hungr

Noun

hunger m (definite singular hungeren) (uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hunhruz.

Pronunciation

  • audio(file)

Noun

hunger c (uncountable)

  1. hunger

Declension

Declension of hunger 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative hunger hungern — —
Genitive hungers hungerns — —

See also

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