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Origin and history of voracious

voracious(adj.)

"greedy in eating," 1630s, formed as an adjective to voracity (the Latin adjective was vorax). Related: Voraciously; voraciousness.

also from 1630s

Entries linking to voracious

voracity(n.)

"greediness of appetite, gluttony, voraciousness," mid-15c., voracite, from French voracité (14c.) or directly from Latin voracitatem (nominative voracitas) "greediness, ravenousness," from vorax (genitive voracis) "greedy, ravenous, consuming, devouring," a derivative of vorare "to devour, swallow" (from PIE root *gwora- "food; devouring").

*gwora-

also *gwera-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "food, devouring."

It might form all or part of: carnivorous; devour; gorge; gurges; hellebore; herbivore; herbivorous; insectivore; locavore; omnivorous; voracious; voracity; -vorous.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit girati "devours, swallows," garah "drink;" Avestan aspo-gar- "devouring horses," nere-gar- "devouring men;" Greek bibrōskein "to eat, digest," brotos "edible," brosis "eating," bora "fodder;" Latin vorare "to swallow, devour;" Armenian e-ker "ate;" Lithuanian gerti "to drink," gìrtas "drunk;" Old Church Slavonic žiro "to swallow," grŭlo "gullet," po-žreti "to eat" (of animals), "to devour."

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