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definitions

devour

[ dih-vou-uh r, -vou-er ]
/ dɪˈvaʊ ər, -ˈvaʊ ər /
|

verb (used with object)

to swallow or eat up hungrily, voraciously, or ravenously.
to consume destructively, recklessly, or wantonly: Fire devoured the old museum.
to engulf or swallow up.
to take in greedily with the senses or intellect: to devour the works of Freud.
to absorb or engross wholly: a mind devoured by fears.

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Nearby words

  1. devotee,
  2. devotion,
  3. devotional,
  4. devotionally,
  5. devotions,
  6. devout,
  7. devoutly,
  8. devoy,
  9. dew,
  10. dew cell

Origin of devour

1275–1325; Middle English devouren < Anglo-French, Old French devourer < Latin dēvorāre to swallow down, equivalent to dē- de- + vorāre to eat up
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for devourer

British Dictionary definitions for devourer

devour

/ (dɪˈvaʊə) /

verb (tr)

to swallow or eat up greedily or voraciously
to waste or destroy; consumethe flames devoured the curtains
to consume greedily or avidly with the senses or mindhe devoured the manuscripts
to engulf or absorbthe flood devoured the land
Derived Formsdevourer, noundevouring, adjectivedevouringly, adverb

Word Origin for devour

C14: from Old French devourer, from Latin dēvorāre to gulp down, from de- + vorāre to consume greedily; see voracious
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for devourer

devour

v.

early 14c., from Old French devorer (12c.) "devour, swallow up, engulf," from Latin devorare "swallow down, accept eagerly," from de- "down" (see de-) + vorare "to swallow" (see voracity). Related: Devoured; devouring.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper