STARVELING Meaning and
Definition
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Starveling is a noun that refers to a person who is extremely thin and malnourished, often due to a lack of food or poor diet. The term originates from the combination of the words "starve" and "ling," where "ling" is an old English suffix indicating a person or thing of a certain kind.
The word starveling typically carries a connotation of someone who is gaunt and emaciated, with visible bone structure and sunken features, resulting from long-term deprivation of sustenance. It emphasizes the severe state of undernourishment that the individual has experienced, highlighting their weakened physical condition and potential vulnerability.
Starveling can also be used figuratively to describe someone who is impoverished or lacking in resources or opportunities. In this context, it denotes a state of extreme deprivation or scarcity, usually in relation to essential needs such as food, shelter, or education. The term is often employed to evoke sympathy or evoke a sense of urgency in addressing the plight of those in dire circumstances.
Overall, starveling carries a descriptive and evocative quality, capturing the physical and socioeconomic implications of severe malnourishment and deprivation.
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• Hungry; pining with want.
• An animal or plant made thin or weak from want of nutriment.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Top Common Misspellings for STARVELING *
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
Other Common Misspellings for STARVELING
Etymology of STARVELING
The word "starveling" is derived from the combination of two words: "starve" and the suffix "-ling".
The term "starve" can be traced back to the Old English word "steorfan", meaning "to perish" or "to die". It later evolved into "sterven" in Middle English, with a similar meaning. Over time, "starve" specifically came to refer to suffering from lack of nourishment, leading to the modern meaning of extreme hunger or deprivation.
The suffix "-ling" is a diminutive suffix in English, often used to create nouns that denote something of lesser significance or smaller size. It is derived from the Old English "-ling" or "-ing", which carries the same meaning.
Therefore, "starveling" combines "starve" with the "-ling" suffix to describe someone who is very thin, weak, or undernourished.
Similar spelling words for STARVELING
- strebel,
- striving,
- Striplin,
- stripping,
- streiff,
- stravinskyan,
- stravinskian,
- stribling,
- starving,
- stravinsky,
- striping,
- stripling,
- starvation,
- strap hinge,
- strapping,
- starved,
- strobel.
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