Hungry
/ˈhʌŋ.ɡri/noun
Feeling a need or desire for food.
Did you know?Hungry comes from the same ancient root as words for “dry” and “thirst,” showing that early Germanic speakers linked hunger with bodily withering rather than just an empty stomach.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kenk-
“to pant, be short of breath; to feel a sharp need”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hungrô
“hunger, famine”
Old English
English
hungrig
“hungry, famished”
Middle English
English
hungrie
“hungry”
Modern English
English
hungry
“feeling a need or desire for food”