Thirsty

How to spell thirsty

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce thirsty

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does thirsty mean?

1. adjectiveFeeling a need or desire to drink something.
2. adjectiveHaving a strong longing or eagerness for something.

Thirsty in a sentence

• After the long hike everyone was hot and thirsty.

• The new manager was thirsty for recognition from senior staff.

• The salty meal left her thirsty all evening.

• Investors were thirsty for any sign of fresh profit.

Where does thirsty come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word goes back to the Old English adjective thurstig, formed from the noun thurst, which named the dry, craving sensation that drives a person to drink. The noun itself descends from a Proto-Germanic root thurstuz, related to a still older Indo-European base meaning 'to be dry' or 'to parch', and the same ancient root surfaces in words like 'terrain' and Latin terra for dry land. Close cousins survive across the Germanic family, including German durstig and Dutch dorstig, all carrying the same idea. The spelling kept the awkward consonant cluster 'thirst' even as English pronunciation smoothed it, which is why the silent-feeling 'r' and the 'st' combine into a slightly tricky middle. By the medieval period the word had also taken on the figurative sense of a strong longing for something other than drink, a usage that remains common today.

How the word is built

• thirst (from Old English thurst: a dry, craving feeling)
• -y (adjective suffix: full of, characterised by)