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From Middle English sterven, from 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), German Low German starven(to die), German sterben(to die), Icelandic stirfinn(peevish, froward), Albanian shterp(sterile, unproductive, barren land).



starve (third-person singular simple present starves, present participle starving, simple past starved or (obsolete) starf or (obsolete) storve, past participle starved or (obsolete) storven)

      noble Britomart / Released her, that else was like to starve, / Through cruell knife that her deare heart did kerue.
  3. (intransitive) To be very hungry.
    Hey, ma, I'm starving!
  5. (transitive) To deprive of nourishment.
    They starved the child until it withered away.
    I was half starved waiting out in that wind.



Derived terms[edit]