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Wiktionary

hunger

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

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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Middle High German

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Etymology

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    From Old High German hungar, from Proto-West Germanic *hungr, from Proto-Germanic *hungruz, from Proto-Indo-European *kenk-.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): (before 13th CE) /ˈhuŋɡər/

    Noun

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    hunger m

    1. famine
    2. hunger (need for food)
    3. (figurative) hunger (strong desire)

    Declension

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    Declension of hunger (sg-only masculine, class 1 strong)
    singular
    indef. def. noun
    nominative ein dër hunger
    genitive eines dës hungers, hungeres
    dative eime dëm hunger, hungere
    accusative einen dën hunger

    Descendants

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    References

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    • Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “hunger”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
    • "hunger" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)

    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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    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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    Declension of hunger
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite hunger hungers
    definite hungern hungerns
    plural indefinite — —
    definite — —

    Derived terms

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    See also

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    References

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