ravenous
pronunciation
How to pronounce ravenous in British English:
UK [ˈrævənəs]
How to pronounce ravenous in American English:
US [ˈrævənəs]
-
- Adjective:
- extremely hungry
- devouring or craving food in great quantities
Word Origin
- ravenous
- ravenous: [15] Ravenous was borrowed from Old French ravineux, a derivative of the verb raviner ‘seize by force’ (source of English raven, which nowadays appears mainly in its present participial form ravening). This came from Latin rapere ‘seize by force’, ancestor also of English rape. The central modern meaning of ravenous, ‘very hungry’, developed from the notion of predatory animals that ‘seize’ and eat their prey. Other English descendants of Latin rapere include rapacious, rapid, rapture, ravage, ravine, ravish [13], surreptitious, and usurp.=> rape, rapture, raven
- ravenous (adj.)
- late 14c., "obsessed with plundering, extremely greedy," from Old French ravinos, of people, "rapacious, violent," of water, "swift-flowing," from raviner "to seize," from ravine "violent rush, robbery" (see ravine). Meaning "voracious, very hungry" is from early 15c. Related: Ravenously; ravenousness.
Example
- 1. Now people go out in a mad rush to shop , like ravenous vampires feasting on new blood .
- 2. Clouds of ravenous mosquitoes descend on any living thing .
- 3. By that time I was ravenous .
- 4. Edacious vultures ; a rapacious appetite ; ravenous as wolves ; voracious sharks .
- 5. When it comes to unexpected heartache and tragedy , our appetite for unraveling the meaning of these ambiguous " messages " can become ravenous .