Anhungered

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A feeling of deep longing for food or sustenance arises from not having eaten for a certain duration
2. Suffering from a strong desire or need for food due to an absence of nourishment
3. Having a keen craving for edible sustenance often caused by an extended period without eating

Etymology: Anhungered is an old form built from the prefix "an-" (a variant of "a-" or "on-") and "hungered," the past participle of "hunger." Its ancestors appear in Middle English as "an hongred" and "on hongred," and the word draws on the same Old English root that gives us "hunger" itself. Literally, the construction means something like "in a state of hungering," with the prefix pointing to a condition the person is in. The "an-" prefix is the interesting part. It is the same little element that appears in "aflame" or "aside," where it simply fixes a state or position, so "anhungered" describes someone who has been hungering as a continuing condition. The prefix was worn down and redistributed in Middle English, which is why the word surfaces in several spellings, including "an-hungryd" and "anhungred," before settling into the form we see here.