Ravenous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹævənəs/

Definitions

1. Extremely hungry or having an intense desire for something that is difficult to satisfy
2. Characterized by an insatiable appetite or overwhelming craving for food or other desires that seem hard to fulfill
3. Exhibiting an intense level of hunger or a strong yearning for satisfaction in various aspects of life

Etymology: The word is a good example of a surprise hiding in plain sight: the bird that seems to lend it its meaning probably doesn't. Its root is "ravin", meaning plunder or prey, from Old French, and the adjective simply adds the "-ous" suffix that turns a noun into a description of having a quality. Something ravenous is, in effect, full of predatory appetite. The Middle English form "ravynous" came into English from Old French "ravineus", and the older noun it grew from carried the sense of seizing and devouring, not of hunger alone. The tempting link to the raven, the glossy black corvid, is a folk etymology. Ravens do look ravenous, especially as nestlings with gaping beaks demanding food, so the connection feels natural. But the word's actual roots point to predation, the act of seizing prey, rather than to the bird. The overlap is a happy accident of imagery that has nonetheless shaped how people hear the word.

Synonyms: starving, insatiable, voracious, hungry, gluttonous

Antonyms: satiated, full, content, satisfied, sated