Word of the day: RAVENOUS Pronunciation: rav·en·ous UK/ˈræv.ən.əs/ and US/ˈræv.ən.əs/

Meaning:
'Ravenous' describes being extremely hungry or famished.

Examples for daily usage:

• After the long journey, she was ravenous and finished the meal in minutes.
• He had a ravenous appetite for knowledge.

Origin and history:

"Ravenous" originates from the 14th-century Old French word ravinos ("rapacious, violent"). It is rooted in Latin rapina (plunder/rapine), originally meaning "obsessed with plundering" or "extremely greedy". The meaning shifted from violent plundering to "furiously hungry" in the early 15th century.

Also read March 28 word of the day

Cultural significance and modern usage:

In Northeast Thailand and Laos, "ravenous spirits" (phii pob) are malevolent, amorphous entities that consume living creatures from within, representing mysterious illnesses and community misfortune. This belief acts as a mechanism to explain sudden, unexplained deaths and to expel unpopular individuals from communities.

"Ravenous birds" (scavengers) are depicted in the Puranas as feeding on the dead on battlefields, symbolising the inevitable cycle of life, death, and the violence of war.

"Ravenous virtue" is a concept that explores the danger of an excessive, judgmental, or obsessive pursuit of moral righteousness, often leading to fanaticism.

The term is sometimes applied in a moral context as "ravenous virtue," describing an insatiable, often judgmental, obsession with moral purity or superiority.

It is used to describe a collective, desperate, or rapid consumption of information

Interesting facts:

• The word 'ravenous' shares roots with "rapacious" (greedy, exploitative)
• In older English usage, ravenous didn't just mean "very hungry"-it implied a predatory, almost savage hunger, like an animal tearing into prey.