Etymology Map
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Devour

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means to eat hungrily; to consume

Where does the word "devour" come from? It comes from Latin devorare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
devorare
Latin · ancient
"to swallow down"
'de-' plus 'vorare', to swallow, the root of 'voracious'
2
Stage 2 of 3
devorer
Old French · medieval
"to eat greedily"
also used of fire and war
3
Stage 3 of 3
devour
English · 1300s
"to eat hungrily"
'devour a book' dates from the 1500s
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Read the full story

Devour’s story begins in Latin: devorare meant “to swallow down.” 'de-' plus 'vorare', to swallow, the root of 'voracious'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as devorer. Also used of fire and war. It reached English by 1300s as devour. 'devour a book' dates from the 1500s. Today, devour means to eat hungrily; to consume.