hunger

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See also: Hunger

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English hunger, from Old English hungor (hunger, desire; famine), from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz, *hunhruz (hunger), from Proto-Indo-European *kenk- (to burn, smart, desire, hunger, thirst).

Cognate with West Frisian honger, hûnger (hunger), Dutch honger (hunger), German Low German Hunger (hunger), German Hunger (hunger), Swedish hunger (hunger), Icelandic hungur (hunger).

Noun

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hunger (countable and uncountable, plural hungers)

  1. A need or compelling desire for food.
  2. (by extension) Any strong desire.
    I have a hunger to win.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. [], London: [] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 1:
      O sacred hunger of ambitious minds!
    • 2003, “What Up Gangsta”, in Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow (lyrics), Reef Tewlow (music), Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent, New York City: Shady Records:
      When gangsters bump my shit, can they feel my hunger?
Usage notes
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The phrase be hungry is more common than have hunger to express a need for food.

Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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See also

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Etymology 2

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From Middle English hungren, from Old English hyngran, hyngrian, ġehyngrian (to be hungry), from Proto-West Germanic *hungrijan, from Proto-Germanic *hungrijaną.

Verb

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hunger (third-person singular simple present hungers, present participle hungering, simple past and past participle hungered)

  1. (intransitive) To be in need of food.
  2. (figuratively, intransitive, usually with 'for' or 'after') To have a desire (for); to long; to yearn.
    I hungered for your love.
  3. (archaic, transitive) To make hungry; to famish.
Derived terms
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Translations
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References

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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From Old Norse hungr

Noun

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hunger

  1. (uncommon) hunger

Declension

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Synonyms

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Derived terms

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German

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Verb

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hunger

  1. inflection of hungern:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. singular imperative

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old English hungor, from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈhunɡər/, [ˈhuŋɡər]

Noun

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hunger (uncountable)

  1. Hungriness; the feeling of being hungry or requiring satiation.
  2. Hunger; a great lack or death of food or nutrition.
  3. A shortage of food in a region or country; widespread hunger.
    • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “2 Paralipomenon 6:28”, in Wycliffe's Bible:
      If hungur riſiþ in þe lond and peſtilence and ruſt and wynd diſtriynge cornes and a locuste and bꝛuke comeþ and if enemyes biſegen þe ȝatis of þe citee aftir þat þe cuntreis ben diſtried and al veniaunce and ſikenesse oppꝛeſſiþ []
      If hunger rises in the land, and pestilence, rust, wind, destroying grain, and locusts and their young come, and if enemies besiege a city's gates after the city's surrounds are ruined, and when any destruction and disease oppresses (people) []
  4. Hunger as a metaphorical individual; the force of hunger.
  5. (rare) Any strong drive or compulsion.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • English: hunger
  • Scots: hounger, hunger

References

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North Frisian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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from Old Frisian hunger, from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz.

Noun

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hunger m

  1. (Mooring) hunger

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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From Old Norse hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hunhruz.

Noun

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hunger m (definite singular hungeren, uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From Old Norse hungr.

Noun

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hunger m (definite singular hungeren) (uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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Swedish

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Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia sv

Etymology

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From Old Norse hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hunhruz.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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hunger c (uncountable)

  1. hunger
    att känna hunger
    to feel hunger

Declension

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Derived terms

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See also

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References

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