famish

verb fam·ish \ ˈfa-mish \

Definition of famish

transitive verb

1 :to cause to suffer severely from hunger

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

play \ˈfa-mish-mənt\ noun

See famish defined for kids

famish was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2012. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of famish from the Web

And surfing chefs know what famished beachgoers crave.

— laylan connelly, Orange County Register, "Here are 3 Orange County beach restaurants with surfers-turned-chefs," 25 May 2017
At 10:31, a regular shows up, famished and with a low-blood-sugar temper tantrum, ready to go.

— jay sacher, The New Yorker, "The Angelica Kitchen Is Closing," 5 Apr. 2017
All that marauding must have left the Vikings famished.

— National Geographic, "How to Eat Like a Viking," 28 Feb. 2017
Collectors, famished by the low-calorie fare of the seventies’ avant-garde, adored the sensuous, cheeky, and grand efflorescence in the painting of the eighties.

— peter schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Joy of Eighties Art," 6 Feb. 2017
These major metropolises are aching, famished for silverware.

— filip bondy, New York Times, "Keeping Score," 15 Oct. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'famish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 rare occasions, 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."

Origin and Etymology of famish

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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FAMISH Defined for Kids

famish

verb fam·ish \ ˈfa-mish \

Definition of famish for Students

famished; famishing

:starve

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famish

Definition of famish

famishment

famish was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2012. Hear the podcast!

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Origin and Etymology of famish

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famish

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famish

Definition of famish

famishment

From the M-W Editors

famish was our Word of the Day on 11/29/2012. Hear the podcast!

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Origin and Etymology of famish

FAMISH Defined for Kids

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