famish

[ fam-ish ]
/ ˈfæm ɪʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR famish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object) Archaic.

to suffer or cause to suffer extreme hunger; starve.
to starve to death.

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Origin of famish

1350–1400; Middle English famisshe, equivalent to famen to starve (< Anglo-French, Middle French afamer < Vulgar Latin *affamāre, equivalent to Latin af- af- + famāre, derivative of famēs hunger) + -isshe -ish2

Words nearby famish

family tree, family values, family way, family-tree theory, famine, famish, famished, famotidine, famous, famous last words, famously
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to famish

abstain, forbear, diet, refrain, starve

Example sentences from the Web for famish

British Dictionary definitions for famish

famish
/ (ˈfæmɪʃ) /

verb

(now usually passive) to be or make very hungry or weak
archaic to die or cause to die from starvation
Irish to make very coldI was famished with the cold

Derived forms of famish

famishment, noun

Word Origin for famish

C14: from Old French afamer, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin famēs famine
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