Examples: No one was
surprised that the esurient media mogul planned to expand his empire into the social-media marketplace.
"She sat opposite
him …, as plump and indifferent to his presence as an old tabby cat whose
esurient eye was wholly focused on a particularly toothsome mouse." —
Pamela Aidan, An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, 2006
Did you know? If
you’re hungry for a new way to express your hunger, you might find that
esurient suits your palate. Be forewarned, however, that when used literally
esurient has a humorous flavor. This somewhat obscure word first appeared in
English in the second half of the 17th century, deriving from the present
participle of the Latin verb esurire, meaning "to be hungry." It is
also related to edere, the Latin verb for "eat," which has given us
such scrumptious fare as edible and its synonyms esculent and comestible.
Esurient can be used somewhat playfully to suggest an actual hunger for food,
but it is more often applied to such things as wealth or power. In the latter contexts, it takes on the connotation of
greedy.
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