thirst

American  

[thurst] / θɜrst /

noun

1. a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by need of liquid.

2. the physical condition resulting from this need, in any of various degrees.

   They almost died of thirst.

3. strong or eager desire; craving.

   a thirst for knowledge.

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verb (used without object)

1. to feel thirst; be thirsty.

2. to have a strong desire.

thirst British  

/ θɜːst /

noun

1. a craving to drink, accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat

2. an eager longing, craving, or yearning

   a thirst for knowledge

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verb

1. (intr) to feel a thirst

   to thirst for a drink

   to thirst after righteousness

Other Word Forms

• thirster noun
• unthirsting adjective

Etymology

Origin of thirst

before 900; Middle English thirsten (v.), Old English thyrstan, derivative of thurst (noun); cognate with Dutch dorst, German Durst, Old Norse thorsti, Gothic thaurstei; noun has -i- from the v. or from thirsty; toast ¹

Example Sentences

“The exhausted troops, covered with a layer of black dust sticking to their sweat, looked like devils. The tired horses...had large open sores on their backs. The heat was burning, thirst intolerable.”

From Literature

The fierce beast had made a kill; her jaws were bloody and she was coming to slake her thirst in the spring.

From Literature

“I dread them as much. They are ruthless as the Cauldron-Born, their strength even greater. They go afoot, yet they are swift, with much endurance. Fatigue, hunger, and thirst mean little to them.”

From Literature

Somehow, the water I had drunk at the stream had managed to satisfy my hunger as well as my thirst.

From Literature

They threw themselves on their backs and caught their breath, looking up at the mist-covered mountains gleaming white in the moonlight, and sucked on handfuls of snow to ease their thirst.

From Literature

Related Words

• appetite
• desire
• eagerness
• hankering
• hunger
• longing
• lust
• passion
• yearning