Word of the Day Archive
Saturday September 15, 2001
starveling \STARV-ling\ , noun:
1. One who is thin from lack of food, or who is starving or being starved.
adjective:
1. Being a starveling.
2. Poor in quality; inadequate.
Even a starveling could look musclebound if he had enough gear on.
-- Michel Faber, Under the Skin
In her privations she is like Bjartur's starveling sons.
-- Annie Dillard, "Hard Times in Ultima Thule", New York Times, April 20, 1997
Our meagre starveling way of preparing teachers degrades the schools and the profession.
-- Samuel P. Orth, "Plain Facts About Public Schools", The Atlantic, March 1909
Starveling is from starve (from Old English steorfan, "to die") + the suffix -ling (from Old English).
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for starveling
