English [ edit ] Wikipedia
Etymology [ edit ] From Middle English sterven Old English steorfan “ to die ” ), from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną “ to become stiff, die ” ), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- “ to lose strength, become numb, be motionless ” ); or from Proto-Indo-European *sterbʰ- “ to become stiff ” ), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- “ stiff ” ); or a conflation of the aforementioned. Cognate with Scots sterve “ to die, perish ” ), Saterland Frisian stjerwa “ to die ” ), West Frisian stjerre “ to die ” ), Dutch sterven “ to die ” ), Low German staarven “ to die ” ), starven sterben “ to die ” ), Icelandic stirfinn “ peevish, froward ” ), Albanian shterp “ sterile, unproductive, barren land ” ).
Pronunciation [ edit ] starve (third-person singular simple present starves present participle starving simple past starved or ( obsolete ) starf or ( obsolete ) storve past participle starved or ( rare ) storven
( intransitive , obsolete ) To die ; in later use especially to die slowly, waste away.
1596 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , IV.i.4:
noble Britomart / Released her, that else was like to sterue , / Through cruell knife that her deare heart did kerue.
( intransitive ) To die because of lack of food or of not eating.
2007 , Lisa Wingate, A Thousand Voices , page 76
"When all of you starve to death, Shasta, don't come crying to me, that's all."
( intransitive ) To be very hungry .
Hey, ma, I'm starving !
( transitive ) To destroy , make capitulate or at least make suffer by deprivation , notably of food.( transitive ) To deprive of nourishment.
They starved the child until it withered away.
( transitive , UK , especially Yorkshire and Lancashire) To kill with cold .
I was half starved waiting out in that wind.
Translations [ edit ]
to die because of lack of food
to destroy by deprivation
to deprive of nourishment
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Translations to be checked
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