eager

See also eagre

English

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -iːɡə(r)

Etymology 1

From Middle English eger, from Old French egre, from Latin acer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.

Adjective

eager (comparative more eager, superlative most eager)

1. (obsolete) sharp; sour; acid.
2. (obsolete) sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
3. (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement.

   The hounds were eager in the chase.

   I was eager to show my teacher how much I'd learned over the holidays.

   You stayed up all night to get to the front of the queue. You must be very eager to get tickets.

4. brittle; inflexible; not ductile.

Synonyms

• raring

Derived terms

• eager beaver
• eagerly
• eagerness

Translations

excited by desire in the pursuit of any object

• Bulgarian: нетърпелив (bg) (netǎrpeliv), силно желаещ (bg) (silno želaešt)
• Czech: dychtivý (cs)
• Dutch: begerig (nl)
• German: begierig (de)
• Hungarian: buzgó (hu)
• Italian: avido (it) m
• Norwegian: ivrig (no)
• Polish: gorliwy (pl) m

• Portuguese: ávido (pt) m
• Scots: aiger
• Scottish Gaelic: dealasach (gd), dian (gd)
• Spanish: impaciente (es), ilusionado (es), entusiasmado (es), ávido (es), anhelante (es)
• Volapük: ledesirik (vo)

Etymology 2

See eagre

Noun

eager (plural eagers)

1. Alternative form of eagre. Tidal bore.

External links

• eager in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• eager in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• eager at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• agree
• eagre