Where does “starving” come from?
Starving comes from Middle English sterven, Old English steorfan, Proto-Germanic sterbaną, and Proto-Indo-European (s)terp-, originally meaning to die or perish.
starving (English): present participle of starve; starvation
Definitions
- present participle of starve; starvation
Ancestry of “starving”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | starve | To die; in later use especially to die slowly,... |
| 2 | Middle English | sterven | To die or perish; To perish from cold or hunger;... |
| 3 | Old English | steorfan | to die |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sterban | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sterbaną | to become stiff; to die, become lifeless |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)terp- | to lose force; lose sensibility, become numb; be... |
Words derived from “starving”