half-starved

starve

H h

Definitions of half-starved word

verb without object half-starved to die or perish from lack of food or nourishment. 1
verb without object half-starved to be in the process of perishing or suffering severely from hunger. 1
verb without object half-starved to suffer from extreme poverty and need. 1
verb without object half-starved to feel a strong need or desire: The child was starving for affection. 1
verb without object half-starved Chiefly British Dialect. to perish or suffer extremely from cold. 1
verb without object half-starved Obsolete. to die. 1

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English sterven, Old English steorfan to die; cognate with German sterben

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

malnourished — poorly or improperly nourished; suffering from malnutrition: thin, malnourished victims of the famine.