famish
UK: ˈfæmɪʃ | US: ˈfæmɪʃ
vt. to cause extreme hunger or starvation
vi. (archaic) to suffer from extreme hunger
adj. (obsolete) hungry or starved
The word famish traces back to the Latin fames (hunger), which entered Old French as faim. In Middle English, the verb-forming suffix -ish was added to create famishen (to starve), later shortened to famish. Originally meaning "to suffer hunger," it evolved to imply causing starvation. The root fam- persists in related words like famine.
The prolonged drought threatened to famish the entire village.
In medieval times, many peasants were famished due to poor harvests.
The cruel king ordered his troops to famish the besieged city.
(Archaic) "They shall not famish for lack of bread," the prophet declared.
The refugees, famished after days without food, collapsed at the relief camp.