hunger

See also: Hunger

English

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌŋɡə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌŋɡɚ/
Audio (General American): (file)
Rhymes: -ʌŋɡə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: hun‧ger

Etymology 1

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

hunger (countable and uncountable, plural hungers)

A need or compelling desire for food.
(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

The phrase be hungry is more common than have hunger to express a need for food.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

need for food

Abkhaz: амла (amla)
Afar: luwa
Aghwan: 𐔱𐕒𐕡𐕚 (bus)
Akan: ɔkɔm
Albanian: uri (sq) f
Andi: моко (moko)
Arabic: جُوع m (jūʕ)
Egyptian Arabic: جوع m (ḡūʕ)

Gulf Arabic: يوع m (yūʕ)
Aragonese: fambre (an)
Armenian: քաղց (hy) (kʻaġcʻ), սով (hy) (sov)
Aromanian: foami f
Assamese: ভোক (bhük)
Asturian: fame f
Avar: ракъи (raqxʼi)
Azerbaijani: aclıq (az)
Bashkir: аслыҡ (aslıq)
Basque: gose
Belarusian: го́лад (be) m (hólad)
Bengali: খিদা (khida), ভুখ (bn) (bhukh), ক্ষুধা (bn) (khudha), ভুক (bhuk)
Breton: naon (br) m
Bulgarian: глад (bg) m (glad)
Burmese: အငတ် (my) (a.ngat), အဆာ (my) (a.hca)
Carpathian Rusyn: го́лод m (hólod)
Catalan: gana (ca) f, fam (ca) m
Cebuano: gutom
Central Atlas Tamazight: ⵍⴰⵥ (laẓ)
Chechen: мацалла (macalla)
Chichewa: njala
Chinese:
Mandarin: 飢餓／饥饿 (zh) (jī'è)
Chukchi: гытъатгыргын (gytʺatgyrgyn)
Chuvash: выҫӑ (vyś̬ă), выҫлӑх (vyślăh)
Coptic: ϩⲕⲟ (hko)
Cornish: nown m
Czech: hlad (cs) m
Dalmatian: fum m
Danish: sult (da)
Dutch: honger (nl) m, trek (nl)
Egyptian:

(ḥqr)
Esperanto: malsato
Estonian: nälg
Even: дьэмкэн (ʒəmkən)
Evenki: дему (ʒemu)
Faroese: hungur m or n, svongd f, svultur m
Finnish: nälkä (fi)
French: faim (fr) f
Friulian: fan f
Galician: fame (gl) f, fame negra (gl) f, larota f, gatuza f, larica f, garula f, farca f, carpulla f, garita f
Georgian: შიმშილი (šimšili)
German: Hunger (de) m
Gothic: 𐌷𐌿𐌷𐍂𐌿𐍃 m (hūhrus)
Greek: πείνα (el) f (peína) (daily/ordinary need of food), λιγούρα f (ligoúra) (desperate need of food), σιτοδεία f (sitodeía), ασιτία f (asitía) (scarcity of food due to natural disaster), λιμός m (limós) (scarcity of food due to war)
Ancient: πεῖνα f (peîna), λιμός m (limós)
Greenlandic: please add this translation if you can
Hadza: házze
Haitian Creole: grangou
Hebrew: רָעָב (he) m (ra'áv)
Hindi: भूख (hi) f (bhūkh)
Hungarian: éhség (hu)
Icelandic: hungur (is) n, sultur (is) m
Ido: hungro (io)
Indonesian: lapar (id)
Ingrian: nälkä
Ingush: мецавалар (mecavalar)
Interlingua: fame (ia)
Irish: ocras (ga) m
Istriot: fan
Istro-Romanian: fome
Italian: fame (it) f
Japanese: 飢え (ja) (うえ, ue), 空腹 (ja) (くうふく, kūfuku), 飢餓 (ja) (きが, kiga)
Kabuverdianu: fómi
Kapampangan: danup, keranupan
Kazakh: аштық (aştyq)
Khakas: ас (as)
Khalaj: âç
Kikuyu: ng'aragu class 9
Korean: 굶주림 (ko) (gumjurim), 배고픔 (ko) (baegopeum)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: برسێتی (birsêtî)

Northern Kurdish: birçîtî (ku)
Kyrgyz: ачтык (ky) (actık)
Latgalian: olkonums, bods
Latin: famēs f
Latvian: bads m
Lingala: nzala
Lithuanian: alkis (lt) m
Lombard: famm (lmo)
Louisiana Creole French: fim, gran-gou
Luxembourgish: Honger m
Macedonian: глад m (glad)
Malay: lapar (ms)
Maltese: ġuħ (mt) m
Manx: accrys m
Maranao: gotem
Marathi: भूख (bhūkh)
Mongolian: өлсгөлөн (mn) (ölsgölön)
Navajo: dichin
Nepali: भोक (bhok)
Norman: fôim f (Guernsey)
Northern Sami: nealgi
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sult (no) m, hunger (no) m

Nynorsk: svolt m, hunger m
Occitan: fam (oc)
Odia: ଭୋକ (or) (bhoka)
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: гладъ m (gladŭ)
Old East Slavic: голодъ m (golodŭ)
Old English: hungor m
Old High German: hungar m
Old Norse: hungr n
Old Turkic: 𐰀𐰲𐰾𐰴 (āčsïq)
Ossetian: стонг (stong)
Ottoman Turkish: آجلق (aclık)
Papiamentu: hamber
Pashto: لوږه f (lwᶕɀa)
Persian: گرسنگی (fa) (gorosnegi)
Plautdietsch: Hunga m
Polish: głód (pl) m
Portuguese: fome (pt) f
Quechua: yarqay
Rohingya: búk
Romagnol: fâm f
Romani: bok
Romanian: foame (ro) f
Romansch: fom
Russian: го́лод (ru) m (gólod)
Saho: luwa
Sango: nzala (sg)
Sanskrit: बुभुक्षा (sa) f (bubhukṣā)
Sardinian: fàmene
Scottish Gaelic: acras m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: глад m

Roman: glad (sh) m
Sicilian: fami (scn)
Sindhi: بک (sd)
Slovak: hlad (sk) m
Slovene: lakota (sl) f
Somali: gaajo
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: głod m

Upper Sorbian: hłód m
Southern Altai: ач (ač)
Spanish: hambre (es) f, carpanta (es) f (colloquial), gazuza (es) f (colloquial), gusa f (Spain, colloquial)
Sranan Tongo: angri
Swahili: njaa (sw), unenge (sw)
Swedish: hunger (sv)
Tajik: гуруснагӣ (tg) (gurusnagī)
Tamil: பசி (ta) (paci)
Tatar: ачлык (tt) (açlıq)
Telugu: ఆకలి (te) (ākali)
Tetum: laha, hamlaha
Thai: ความหิว (th) (kwaam-hǐu)
Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
Tocharian B: kest
Tumbuka: njala
Turkish: açlık (tr), aç (tr)
Turkmen: açlyk (tk), aaçlyk
Tuvan: аш (aş)
Ugaritic: 𐎗𐎙𐎁𐎐 (rġbn)
Ukrainian: го́лод m (hólod)
Urdu: بھوک f (bhūk)
Uyghur: ئاچلىق (achliq)
Uzbek: ochlik (uz)
Venetian: fan f
Vietnamese: đói (vi)
Votic: ńältše
Walloon: fwin (wa) f
Welsh: newyn m
West Frisian: honger, hûnger
Yakut: аас (aas)
Yiddish: הונגער m (hunger)

strong desire

Arabic: رَغْبَة f (raḡba), تَعَطُّش m (taʕaṭṭuš)
Bulgarian: жа́жда (bg) f (žážda)
Catalan: set (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 渴望 (zh) (kěwàng)
Finnish: himo (fi), nälkä (fi)
French: soif (fr) f
Galician: debezo m, prango m, degoro (gl) m, sede (gl) f, puxo m, degoxo (gl) f, arela (gl) f, gorromela f, enrónica f, engolemia f, anguria f
Greek: λαχτάρα (el) f (lachtára), πόθος (el) m (póthos), πείνα (el) f (peína)
Irish: ocras (ga) m, anrachán m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: hunger (no) m

Nynorsk: hunger m
Polish: żądza (pl) f
Portuguese: sede (pt) f
Russian: жа́жда (ru) f (žážda)
Spanish: sed (es) f
Swahili: njaa (sw), unenge (sw)
Swedish: hunger (sv)

Etymology 2

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

Verb

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

(intransitive) To be in need of food.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 12:20:
  Therefore if thine enemie hunger, feed him: if he thirst, giue him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head.
(figuratively, intransitive, usually with 'for' or 'after') To have a desire (for); to long; to yearn.
I hungered for your love.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:6:
  Blessed are they which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse: for they shall be filled.
- 1993, The The, Love Is Stronger Than Death:
  In our lives we hunger for those we cannot touch.
(archaic, transitive) To make hungry; to famish.

Derived terms

Translations

need food

Arabic: جَاعَ (jāʕa)
Asturian: tener fame, tar esfamiáu
Bulgarian: гладувам (bg) (gladuvam)
Cherokee: ᎤᏲᏏᎭ (uyosiha)
Coptic: ϩⲕⲟ (hko)
Czech: hladovět (cs)
Dutch: honger hebben (nl) , hongeren (nl)
Esperanto: malsati
Finnish: nähdä nälkää
French: avoir faim
German: hungern (de), Hunger haben, hungrig sein
Gothic: 𐌷𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (huggrjan)
Greek: πεινώ (el) (peinó)
Ancient: πεινάω (peináō)
Ido: hungrar (io)
Irish: ocras (ga)
Italian: avere fame
Japanese: 飢える (ja) (ueru)
Karakhanid: ااجْماقْ (āčmaq)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: برسی (birsî)
Latin: ēsuriō (la)
Louisiana Creole French: fim
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sulte (no)

Nynorsk: svelte
Old Church Slavonic: алкати (alkati)
Old Prussian: alkautwei
Old Turkic: 𐰀𐰲 (āč-)
Plautdietsch: hungrich sennen
Polish: łaknąć (pl) impf, głodować (pl) impf
Portuguese: ter fome
Romanian: fie foame (ro) (with dative)
Russian: проголода́ться (ru) (progolodátʹsja), голода́ть (ru) (golodátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: гладо̀вати

Roman: gladòvati (sh)
Spanish: tener hambre
Swahili: kuwa na njaa (sw)
Swedish: hungra (sv)
Turkish: acıkmak (tr)
Vietnamese: bị đói
Yakut: аас (aas)

desire

Bulgarian: жадувам (bg) (žaduvam)
Dutch: verlangen
Finnish: himoita (fi), isota (fi) (archaic)
French: avoir soif
Greek: ποθώ (el) (pothó), λαχταρώ (el) (lachtaró)
Ancient: πεινάω (peináō)
Japanese: 飢える (ja) (ueru)
Norwegian: hungre
Old Church Slavonic: алкати (alkati)
Polish: łaknąć (pl) impf, pożądać (pl) impf, pragnąć (pl) impf
Portuguese: desejar (pt)
Russian: жа́ждать (ru) impf (žáždatʹ), алкать (ru) (alkatʹ)
Spanish: tener sed
Swedish: hungra (sv)
Vietnamese: thèm (vi)

References

“hunger”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

rehung

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse hungr

Noun

hunger

(uncommon) hunger

Declension

Declension of hunger

common gender	Singular
common gender	indefinite	definite
nominative	hunger	hungeren
genitive	hungers	hungerens

Synonyms

sult

Derived terms

hungersnød

German

Verb

hunger

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

Middle English

Alternative forms

(Early ME) hunngerr, hungor, hungær
hunguer, honguer, honger, hungre, hongre, hungere, hongur, hounger, hounguer, hungir, hungyr, hungur

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈhunɡər/, [ˈhuŋɡər]

Noun

hunger (uncountable)

Hungriness; the feeling of being hungry or requiring satiation.
Hunger; a great lack or death of food or nutrition.
- p. 1154, “AD 1137”, in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS. Laud Misc. 636, continuation), Peterborough, folio 89, verso; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 2018 February 8:
  Mani þusen hi drapen mid hungær.
  Many thousands they overcame with hunger.
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) […]
Hunger as a metaphorical individual; the force of hunger.
(rare) Any strong drive or compulsion.