thirst
A feeling of needing or wanting to drink; a lack of the liquid needed to sustain life.
Etymology
From Old English þurst (thirst), from Proto-Germanic *þurstuz, from PIE *ters- (to dry, to be parched). The same root gave Latin terra (earth, dry land), torrēre (to parch), and English terrain and toast. The semantic logic is straightforward: thirst is the state of being dry. Grimm's Law transforms PIE *t to Germanic *þ (th).
The Journey: *ters- → thirst
*ters-
*þurstuz
þurst
thirst
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *ters-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Latin | torrēre — to parch |
| German | Durst — thirst |
| Sanskrit | tṛṣṇā — thirst |
| Old Norse | þorsti — thirst |
Did You Know?
Thirst, terrain, terra, toast, and torrid all share the PIE root *ters- (to dry). The Earth itself (Latin terra) is named for being the dry element, as opposed to water.