ravenous
UK: ˈrævənəs | US: ˈrævənəs
adj. extremely hungry; famished
adj. (figuratively) intensely eager or greedy for something
ravenous = raven<to seize or plunder> + ous<adjective suffix>
- raven (from Old French raviner, "to seize, plunder," ultimately from Latin rapere, "to snatch or seize")
- ous (suffix forming adjectives, indicating "full of" or "having the quality of")
Etymology Origin:
The word ravenous traces back to the Latin rapere ("to seize"), which also gives us rapid (seizing time) and rape (originally "abduction"). The Old French raviner evolved to mean "to plunder violently," reflecting the idea of desperate hunger akin to a predator seizing prey. By the 14th century, ravenous in English described insatiable hunger, metaphorically extending to intense eagerness.
After hiking for hours, I felt ravenous and devoured a whole pizza.
The ravenous wolves hunted tirelessly through the winter.
She was ravenous for success, working late every night.
The refugees, ravenous after days without food, begged for scraps.
His ravenous curiosity drove him to read every book on the shelf.