See also: Hunger

English edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

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 edit

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 edit

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

Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

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

Verb edit

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 edit
Translations edit

References edit

Anagrams edit

Danish edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse hungr

Noun edit

hunger

  1. (uncommon) hunger

Declension edit

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

German edit

Verb edit

hunger

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

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈhunɡər/, [ˈhuŋɡər]

Noun edit

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 edit

Descendants edit

  • English: hunger
  • Scots: hounger, hunger

References edit

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology edit

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

Noun edit

hunger m (definite singular hungeren, uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

References edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse hungr.

Noun edit

hunger m (definite singular hungeren) (uncountable)

  1. hunger

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

References edit

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

hunger c (uncountable)

  1. hunger

Declension edit

Declension of hunger 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative hunger hungern
Genitive hungers hungerns

Derived terms edit

See also edit