esurient

adjective

esu·​ri·​ent i-ˈsu̇r-ē-ənt 

-ˈzu̇r-

: hungry, greedy

esuriently adverb

Did you know?

If you're hungry for a new way to express your hunger, you might find that esurient fits your palate. Be forewarned, however, that when used literally esurient has a humorous flavor. This somewhat obscure word first appeared in English in the second half of the 17th century, deriving from the present participle of the Latin verb esurire, meaning "to be hungry." It is also related to edere, the Latin verb for "eat," which has given us such scrumptious fare as edible and its synonyms esculent and comestible. Esurient can be used somewhat playfully to suggest an actual hunger for food, but it is more often applied to such things as wealth or power. In the latter contexts, it takes on the connotation of "greedy."

Synonyms

• edacious
• gluttonous
• greedy
• hoggish
• piggish
• rapacious
• ravenous
• swinish
• voracious

Examples of esurient in a Sentence

the deli is frequented by young, single professionals, esurient after those long hours spent staring at the monitor of a computer

Word History

Etymology

Latin esurient-, esuriens, present participle of esurire to be hungry; akin to Latin edere to eat — more at eat

First Known Use

circa 1672, in the meaning defined above

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