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FAMISH

 - 3 dictionary results

fam⋅ish

  [fam-ish]
Use FAMISH in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object) Archaic.
1. to suffer or cause to suffer extreme hunger; starve.
2. to starve to death.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME famisshe, equiv. to famen to starve (< AF, MF afamer < VL *affamāre, equiv. to L af- af- + famāre, deriv. of famēs hunger) + -isshe -ish 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fam·ish   (fām'ĭsh)   
v.   fam·ished, fam·ish·ing, fam·ish·es

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to endure severe hunger.

  2. To cause to starve to death.

v.   intr.

  1. To endure severe deprivation, especially of food.

  2. To undergo starvation and die.


[Middle English famishen, alteration of famen, from Old French afamer, from Vulgar Latin *affamāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin famēs, hunger.]
fam'ish·ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

famish 
c.1400, famen, aphetic of O.Fr. afamer, from V.L. *affamare "to bring to hunger," from ad famem, from L. fames "hunger." Ending changed after 1338 to -ish under infl. of ravish, anguish, etc. The intrans. sense is from 1530.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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