devour

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

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.

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