Famish

Famish
Famish Fam"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Famished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Famishing}.] [OE. famen; cf. OF. afamer, L. fames. See {Famine}, and cf. {Affamish}.] 1. To starve, kill, or destroy with hunger. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to distress with hanger. [1913 Webster]

And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. --Cen. xli. 55. [1913 Webster]

The pains of famished Tantalus he'll feel. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3. To kill, or to cause to suffer extremity, by deprivation or denial of anything necessary. [1913 Webster]

And famish him of breath, if not of bread. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

4. To force or constrain by famine. [1913 Webster]

He had famished Paris into a surrender. --Burke. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Famish — Fam ish, v. i. 1. To die of hunger; to starve. [1913 Webster] 2. To suffer extreme hunger or thirst, so as to be exhausted in strength, or to come near to perish. [1913 Webster] You are all resolved rather to die than to famish? Shak. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • famish — c.1400, famyschen, alteration of famen (late 14c.), aphetic of O.Fr. afamer, from V.L. *affamare to bring to hunger, from ad famem, from L. fames hunger (see FAMINE (Cf. famine)). Ending changed mid 14c. to ish under influence of ravish, anguish …   Etymology dictionary

  • famish — [fam′ish] vt., vi. [ME famishen, altered (after verbs ending in ish : see ISH) < famen, aphetic < OFr afamer < VL * affamare < L ad, to + fames, hunger: see FAMINE] 1. to make or be very hungry; make or become weak from hunger 2. Obs …   English World dictionary

  • famish — /ˈfæmɪʃ/ (say famish) verb (i) 1. to suffer extreme hunger; starve. 2. Obsolete to starve to death. {Middle English fame(n) famish (from Latin fames hunger) + ish2} –famishment, noun …  

  • famish — verb /ˈfamɪʃ/ a) To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to distress with hunger. Even so did Corellius Rufus, another grave senator, by the relation of Plinius Secundus, Epist. lib. 1, epist. 12, famish himself to death [...]. <!… …   Wiktionary

  • Famish —    Beginning in the early 1980s, the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan searched for ways to reduce the Soviet intelligence presence in the United States. The “Famish” action was precipitated in September 1986 when the KGB arrested… …   Historical dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence

  • famish — verb archaic reduce or be reduced to extreme hunger. Origin ME: from obs. fame starve, famish , from OFr. afamer, based on L. fames hunger …   English new terms dictionary

  • famish — verb Etymology: Middle English, probably alteration of famen, from Anglo French afamer, from Vulgar Latin *affamare, from Latin ad + fames Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to cause to suffer severely from hunger 2. archaic to cause to starve …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • famish — /fam ish/, v.t., v.i. Archaic. 1. to suffer or cause to suffer extreme hunger; starve. 2. to starve to death. [1350 1400; ME famisshe, equiv. to famen to starve ( < AF, MF afamer < VL *affamare, equiv. to L af AF + famare, deriv. of fames hunger) …   Universalium

  • famish — (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. starve, die of hunger, be hungry; pinch, exhaust. See parsimony. Ant., sate …   English dictionary for students

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