thirst
English · Thesaurus
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thirst
- /θɜːst/ Australia, UK
- /θɝst/ US
- /θɪɹst/ Scotland
- /θøːst/ New Zealand
- /θeːst/
- /θɛːst/
- /fɜːst/
Sounds like first (th-fronting) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)st
Where it comes from
From Middle English thirst, thurst, from Old English þurst, from Proto-West Germanic *þurstu, from Proto-Germanic *þurstuz, from Proto-Indo-European *ters- (“dry”).
Germanic cognates include Old High German thurst, Middle High German durst, German Durst, Old Saxon thurst, Old Dutch thursti, Middle Dutch dorst, dorste, Dutch dorst, Old Norse þorsti (Swedish törst, Icelandic þorsti, Faroese tosti, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål tørst, Norwegian Nynorsk tørste). Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek τέρσομαι (térsomai), Albanian djersë (“sweat”), Sanskrit तृष्णा (tṛṣṇā, “desire; thirst”), Sanskrit तृष्यति (tṛ́ṣyati), Latin terra, Latin torridus.
noun thirsts
- A sensation of dryness in the throat associated with a craving for liquids, produced by deprivation of drink, or by some other cause (such as fear, excitement, etc.) which stops the secretion of the pharyngeal mucous membrane. We developed a great thirst during our hike.
- The condition producing the sensation of thirst. If you go out in the desert for long without water, the thirst can drive you mad.
- A want and eager desire (for something); a craving or longing. She had a real thirst for news and that greatly helped her career.
- Sexual lust. He had a thirst for her and she had the same for him.
verb thirsts · thirsting · thirsted
- To be thirsty. The people thirsted there for water.
- To desire vehemently. I thirst for knowledge and education will sate me.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hunger, starve, lust, crave, dehydration, dryness, thirsty, sud, quenching, appetite, drink, drinking, quencher, anxiety, touch, eagerness
Translations
Every language
noun dryness
| Español | sed |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 목마름 mongmareum, 갈증 galjeung |
| 日本語 | 喉の渇き nodo no kawaki, 口渇 kōkatsu, 渇 katsu, 渇き kawaki |
| 中文 | 口渴 kǒukě |
| हिन्दी | प्यास pyās, तृष्णा tŕṣṇā, पिपासा pipāsā, तृषा tŕṣā, उदन्या udanyā |
| Kiswahili | kiu |
| Português | sede |
| Français | soif |
| Deutsch | Durst |
| Italiano | sete |
| Ελληνικά | δίψα dípsa |
| Română | sete |
| Русский | жа́жда žážda, сма́га smága |
| Tiếng Việt | khát |
| العربية | عَطَش ʕaṭaš, ظَمَأ ẓamaʔ |
| עברית | צָמָא tsamá, צימאון tsimaon |
noun figuratively
| Español | sed, hambre, ambición, ansias |
|---|---|
| Português | sede |
| Français | soif |
| Deutsch | Durst |
| Italiano | avidità, sete |
| Ελληνικά | δίψα dípsa |
| Русский | жа́жда žážda |
verb to be thirsty
| Español | tener sed |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 渴 kě |
| Português | ter sede, estar com sede |
| Français | avoir soif |
| Deutsch | dürsten, dursten, Durst haben |
| Italiano | avere sete |
| Ελληνικά | διψάω dipsáo |
| Română | înseta, fie sete |
| Русский | испы́тывать жа́жду ispýtyvatʹ žáždu, хоте́ть пить xotétʹ pitʹ |
| العربية | عَطِشَ ʕaṭiša, ظَمِئَ ẓamiʔa |
| עברית | צָמֵא tsaméʾ |
Talk about this word "thirst." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thirst. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. thirst. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thirst "thirst." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thirst.Cite this
@misc{thirst_2026,
title = {thirst},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thirst},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
