Thirst

Thirst is a universal elementary condition, so it’s no surprise that the first written instance in English goes back to at least 1,000 AD. It evolved from a similar form (thurst) that existed in many Germanic languages.

The Greek word dipsa meant thirst, and several English words were patterned on that.

• The dipsas was a serpent whose bite was supposed to produce an unimaginable thirst.
• A dipsetic is a medicinal preparation that induces thirst.
• Dipsomania is an insatiable thirst for alcohol.
• Dipsopathy was a medical treatment based on abstinence from liquids.
• Dipsosis meant a morbid degree of thirst.
• Polydipsia was a morbid thirst that resulted in excessive water consumption.

The corresponding word in Latin was sitia, and that was absorbed into several English words.

• To sitiate was to thirst.
• Siticulous means very dry.
• Sitient meant thirsting in the physical sense, but it was also extended to the metaphorical sense of coveting.

Now available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts Dictionary, 2nd edition

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