a. [ad. L. ēsurient-em, pr. pple. of ēsurīre to be hungry, desiderative vb. f. ēs- ppl. stem of edĕre to eat.]
A. adj. 1. Hungry: in early use chiefly fig. Now humorously pedantic in lit. sense, or (with reminiscence of Juvenal’s Græculus esuriens) in the sense ‘impecunious and greedy.’
a. 1672. Wood, Life (1848), 107. He [A. Wood] might advance his esurient genie in antiquities, especially in those of the said universitie. Ibid. (1691), Ath. Oxon., II. 867. He was as esurient after fame as Tom Coryate.
1790. J. Williams, Shrove Tuesday (1794), 32. Esurient Ruin shall be taught to spare Those altars congregated Virtues rear.
1833. Lamb, Elia, Pop. Fallacies. To sit esurient at his own table, and commend the flavour of his venison upon the absurd strength of his never touching it himself.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. IV. iv. He is an esurient, unprovided Advocate; Danton by name.
1854. Badham, Halieut., 476. Juvenal’s picture of an esurient Greek.
1858. Sat. Rev., VI. 559/2. The English Cabinet annually avails itself of the delightful facility thus afforded to esurient ichthyophagi.
1881. Spectator, 15 Jan., 81/1. Untrustworthy, esurient, broken attorneys.
b. transf.
1710. T. Fuller, Pharm. Extemp. (1730), 156. Calcin’d Hartshorn … must needs … leave its Pores empty and esurient.
¶ 2. catachr. Pertaining to appetite or the love of eating; gastronomic.
1821. New Monthly Mag., I. 438. Esurient and bibulous reminiscences ooze from its surface.
1852. Blackw. Mag., LXXI. 749. Let them … extend the esurient knowledge of their race … inculcate educational cookery.
B. sb. A greedy person.
1691. Wood, Ath. Oxon. (1817), III. 965. An insatiable esurient after riches and what not.
Hence Esuriently adv., hungrily.
1883. G. A. MacDonnell, Chess Life-Pictures, 105–6. I … was awaiting esuriently the appearance of the committee in order to commence our refection.
