| 释义 |
esurient, a.|iːˈsjʊərɪənt|
[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’.
a1672Wood Life (1848) 107 He [A. Wood] might advance his esurient genie in antiquities, especially in those of the said universitie. 1691― Ath. Oxon. II. 867 He was as esurient after fame as Tom Coryate. 1790J. Williams Shrove Tuesday (1794) 32 Esurient Ruin shall be taught to spare Those altars congregated Virtues rear. 1833Lamb 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. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. i. iv. iv, He is an esurient, unprovided Advocate; Danton by name. 1854Badham Halieut. 476 Juvenal's picture of an esurient Greek. 1858Sat. Rev. VI. 559/2 The English Cabinet annually avails itself of the delightful facility thus afforded to esurient ichthyophagi. 1881Spectator 15 Jan. 81 Untrustworthy, esurient, broken attorneys.
b. transf.
1710Fuller 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.
1821New Monthly Mag. I. 438 Esurient and bibulous reminiscences ooze from its surface. 1852Blackw. Mag. LXXI 749 Let them..extend the esurient knowledge of their race..inculcate educational cookery.
B. n. A greedy person.
1691Wood Ath. Oxon. (1817) III. 965 An insatiable esurient after riches and what not.
Hence eˈsuriently adv., hungrily.
1883G. A. MacDonnell Chess Life Pict. 106, I..was waiting esuriently the appearance of the committee in order to commence our refection. |
