DictionaryRoot: -ous
Old French

-ous

full of; characterized by

3 / 3
A very hungry young woman leans eagerly over a substantial meal, taking a large bite from a sandwich while already reaching for another piece of food.
adjective

ravenous

RAV-uh-nuhs/ˈrævənəs/

Experiencing an extreme appetite for food.

Etymology

The base meant “to seize or pillage,” and the adjective first described rapacious, plundering greed. That sense of fierce appetite shifted to food, giving the meaning “furiously hungry.”

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