Athirst
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Thirsty. archaic
"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
- 2 Eager or extremely desirous (for something). figuratively
"I, that forever feel athirst for glory, Could at this moment be content to lie Meekly upon the grass, as those whose sobbings Were heard of none beside the mournful robins."
- 1 (usually followed by ‘for’) extremely desirous wordnet
Example
More examples"Then fury spurred their courage, and behold, / As ravening wolves, when darkness hides the day, / Stung with mad fire of famine uncontrolled, / Prowl from their dens, and leave the whelps to stay, / With jaws athirst and gaping for the prey. / So to sure death, amid the darkness there, / Where swords, and spears, and foemen bar the way, / Into the centre of the town we fare. / Night with her shadowy cone broods o'er the vaulted air."
Etymology
From Old English ofþyrst, past participle of ofþyrstan (“to smart from thirst”), equivalent to a- (“of”, Etymology 8) + thirst (verb).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.