famish
/ˈfamɪʃ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.20 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to cause to be very hungry.
Transitive verb
verb
To kill, or to cause great suffering to, by depriving or denying anything necessary.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Even so did Corellius Rufus, another grave senator, by the relation of Plinius Secundus, Epist. lib.1, epist.12, famish himself to death […]"
- "And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread."
- "The pains of famished Tantalus [he] shall feel."
- "And famish him of breath, if not of bread?"
- "He had […]famished Paris into a surrender."
- "Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The vvhilſt their ovvne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittifull."
Etymology
From Middle English famisshe, from famen (“starve”), from Old French afamer, ultimately from Latin famēs (“hunger”). Compare affamish, famine. Cognate with Spanish hambre (“hunger”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: famisshe, afamer
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈfamɪʃ/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
famisher
famishment