famish

verb

fam·​ish ˈfa-mish 

famished; famishing; famishes

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to suffer severely from hunger

—usually used in passive constructions

People there are famished, crime is rampant, and the government is jailing … its opponents.

—Scott Simon

b

: to make very hungry

—usually used in passive constructions

She'd nibbled only a few carrots and yogurt all day, and she was famished.

—Erin Richards

2

archaic : to cause to starve to death

intransitive verb

1

archaic : starve

2

: to suffer for lack of something necessary

… a moment when French poetry in particular was famishing for such invention …

—T. S. Eliot

famishment

ˈfa-mish-mənt 

noun

Did you know?

Famish likely developed as an alteration of Middle English famen, meaning "to starve." The Middle English word was borrowed from the Anglo-French verb afamer, which etymologists believe came from Vulgar Latin affamare. We say "believe" because, while no written evidence has yet been found for the Vulgar Latin word affamare, it would be the expected source for the Anglo-French verb based on the combination of the Latin prefix ad- ("to" or "toward") and the root noun fames ("hunger"). In contemporary English, the verb famish is still used on occasion, but it is considerably less common than the related adjective famished, which usually means "hungry" or "starving" but can also mean "needy" or "being in want."

Examples of famish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The migrants pause in the region, famished and nearly half their starting weight, to spend about a month scarfing down crab eggs to power them through the last leg of their journey. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023

Each household can bring their guy's favorite dish for a menu that is sure to please all famished fathers in attendance. —Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 13 May 2023

Beverly and Elliot, both played by Weisz, have just gotten off their shift and are famished; Elliot is seen inhaling her burger under the grim overhead lighting. —Jennifer Wilson, The New Republic, 8 May 2023

Dear Amy: At the end of an extremely long road trip, my fiancée, her 16-year-old son and I stopped at a noisy sports bar at 9:30 p.m. – famished. —Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 22 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, probably alteration of famen, from Anglo-French afamer, from Vulgar Latin *affamare, from Latin ad- + fames

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for famish

• shamash

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Kids Definition

famish

verb

fam·​ish ˈfam-ish 

1

: to suffer or cause to suffer from extreme hunger

2

: to suffer from a lack of something necessary

famishment

-mənt 

noun