thirst

[thurst]
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.
verb (used without object)
4.
to feel thirst; be thirsty.
5.
to have a strong desire.
00:10
Thirst is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

Origin:
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; see toast1

thirst·er, noun
un·thirst·ing, adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
thirst (θɜːst) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
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
 
vb
3.  (intr) to feel a thirst: to thirst for a drink; to thirst after righteousness
 
[Old English thyrstan, from thurst thirst; related to Old Norse thyrsta to thirst, Old High German dursten to thirst, Latin torrēre to parch]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

thirst
O.E. þurst, from W.Gmc. *thurstus (cf. O.S. thurst, Fris. torst, Du. dorst, O.H.G., Ger. durst), from P.Gmc. *thurs-, from PIE base *ters- "dry" (see terrain). Fig. sense of "vehement desire" is attested from c.1200. The verb is O.E. þyrstan; the fig. sense of
the verb was present in O.E. Thirsty is O.E. þurstig.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

thirst (thûrst)
n.

  1. A sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat related to a need or desire to drink.

  2. The desire or need to drink.

v. thirst·ed, thirst·ing, thirsts
To feel a need to drink.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
So she poured out the liquid music of her voice to quench the thirst of his
  spirit.
Someday, it could quench the semiconductor industry's thirst for ever-shrinking
  components.
Demand for gas is still growing in rich countries, even as their thirst for oil
  has faltered.
Initial thirst and curiosity satisfied, you can wander the zone following my
  unconventional organizing principle.
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