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devour

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To devour is to eat or consume something very quickly.

(verb)

An example of devour is when you eat your lunch really fast.
An example of devour is when you read novels the minute you get them.
An example of devour is when flames destroy a house.

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See devour in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

to eat or eat up hungrily, greedily, or voraciously
to consume or destroy with devastating force
to take in greedily with the eyes, ears, or mind: the child devours fairy tales
to absorb completely; engross: devoured by curiosity
to swallow up; engulf

Origin: ME devouren < OFr devorer < L devorare < de-, intens. + vorare, to swallow whole: see voracious

Related Forms:

devourer noun

See devour in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb de·voured, de·vour·ing, de·vours

To eat up greedily. See Synonyms at eat.
To destroy, consume, or waste: Flames devoured the structure in minutes.
To take in eagerly: devour a novel.
To prey upon voraciously: was devoured by jealousy.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English devouren

Origin: , from Old French devourer

Origin: , from Latin dēvorāre

Origin: : dē-, de-

Origin: + vorāre, to swallow

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Related Forms:

de·vourˈer noun

de·vourˈing·ly adverb

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